purisa

Inherited from Sanskrit *पुरिष (*puriṣa). The forms with vowel /i/ were not part of the attested Sanskrit languages. See Sanskrit पुरुष (puruṣa) for Prakrit cognates exhibiting /i/. Geiger proposes derivation of attested Pali, Prakrit and Sanskrit from *pūrṣa, whence Pali doublet posa.

purisa m

1. a man
2. (grammar) person
   • c. 500 AD, Kaccāyana, Pālivyākaraṇaṃ [Pali Grammar]‎, page 252; republished as Satish Chandra Acharyya Vidyabhusana, editor, Kaccayana's Pali Grammar (edited in Devanagari character and translated into English), Calcutta, Bengal: Mahabodhi Society, 1901:

     सब्बेसं तिण्णं पठममज्झिमुत्तमपुरिसानं एकाभिधाने परो पुरिसो गहेतब्बो। सो च पठति, ते च पठन्ति, त्वञ्च पठसि तुम्हे च पठथ, अहञ्च पठामि = मयं पठाम; सो पचति, ते च पचन्ति, त्वञ्च पचन्ति, तुम्हे च पठथ, अहञ्च पचआमि = मयं पचाम एवं सेसासु विभत्तीसु परो पुरिसो योजेतब्बो॥

     Sabbesaṃ tiṇṇaṃ paṭhamamajjhimuttamapurisānaṃ ekābhidhāne paro puriso gahetabbo. So ca paṭhati, te ca paṭhanti, tvañca paṭhasi, tumhe ca paṭhatha, ahañca paṭhāmi = mayaṃ paṭhāma; so pacati, te ca pacanti, tvañca pacasi, tumhe ca pacatha, ahañca pacāmi = mayaṃ pacāma. Evaṃ sesāsu vibhattīsu paro puriso yojetabbo.

     With all three, third, second, and first persons, in one expression, the last person is to be taken. He reads, they read, thou readest, you read, and I read = we read; he cooks, they cook, thou cookest, you cook , and I cook = we cook. The last person is to be applied thus for other endings.

• purisapuggala
• kāpurisa