Mettaða

Mettaða is a term that appears in Icelandic-language discussions of ethics and religion, used to denote the practice or state of metta, or loving-kindness, extended toward all beings. In this usage, mettaða functions as a noun describing an attitude or process rather than a single action.

Etymology and form suggest an adaptation of the Pali term mettā, with the Icelandic suffix -ða forming an abstract-noun concept. The word is not widely attested in major dictionaries, and its exact spelling and sense can vary across authors. As a result, mettaða is best understood as a niche or neo-lexical item within discussions of Buddhist-inspired ethics in Icelandic.

Usage and context are limited to scholarly and devotional contexts where writers address the cultivation of benevolence in thought, speech, and action. Some discussions treat mettaða as synonymous with mettā, the broader ideal of universal loving-kindness, while others distinguish between the meditative practice of developing metta (mettā-bhāvanā) and a broader ethical orientation described by mettaða. In practice, the term may appear in translations of Buddhist concepts into Icelandic or in comparative studies of how benevolence is framed in different spiritual traditions.

See also: mettā, loving-kindness meditation, Brahmavihāras, translation of Buddhist terms into Icelandic.

Note: Because attestation of mettaða is limited, readers should consult specialized Icelandic-language sources or Buddhist-studies literature for fuller context and usage.