substantif (neutre) : forme, apparence, aspect ; ce qui relève de la matière (visible)
(extrait ; lire la page complète en http://dsalsrv02.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.3:1:565.pali)
rūpa （nt．） [cp．Vedic rūpa，connected etymologically with varpa （Grassmann）．– The Nom．pl．is rūpā & rūpāni] form，figure，appearance，principle of form，etc．
A．Definitions．According to P．expositors rūpa takes its designation fr．ruppati，e．g．“ruppanato rūpaṃ” Vism．588； “ruppan’aṭṭhena r．” VbhA．3； “rūpa-rūpaṃ= ruppana sabhāvena yuttaṃ” Cpd．1567 （where ruppati is，not quite correctly，given as “change”），“ruppatī ti：tasmā rūpan ti vuccati” S．III，86； other defns are “rūpayatī ti rūpaṃ” （with cakkhu & the other 10 āyatanas） VbhA．45； and more scientifically：“paresu rūp’ādisu cakkhu-paṭihanana lakkhaṇaṃ rūpaṃ” Vism．446．– Of modern interpretations & discussions see e．g．Dhs．trsl．introd．ch．vi．（pp．41–63，or 248–71）； Dial．II．244； Expos．67n； Cpd．270 sq．（where objections are raised to trsln “form，” and as better （philosophical） terms “matter，” “material quality” are recommended）．See also loka for similar etym．
B．（lit．） appearance，form，figure Dhs．597 sq．（=form either contrasted with what is unseen，or taken for both seen and unseen），751； Mhvs 27，30 （sīha-vyagghādirūpāni representations of lions，tigers etc．）； 30，68 （ravicanda-tāra-rūpāni id．）； 36，31 （loha° bronze statue）； ThA．257．– Esp．beautiful form，beauty S．IV，275= Pv．II，958 （as one of the 10 attributes，with sadda etc．，of distinction：see also below D．II，a）； Miln．285； Mhvs 20，4 （rūpa-māninī proud of her beauty）； PvA．89．–surūpa very beautiful ThA．72； durūpa of evil form，ugly A．II，203 sq．（dubbaṇṇa+）.
C．（-°） of such & such a form，like，kind，of a certain condition or appearance．In this appln very frequent & similar to E．–hood，or Ger．–heit，i．e．an abstract formation．Often untranslatable because of the latter character．It is similar to kāya （cp．expln of ātura‹-› rūpa Vv 8314 by abhitunna-kāya Vva 328)，but not so much with ref．to life & feeling as to appearance and looks． – Cases ad verbially：citta-rūpaṃ according to intention Vin．III，161； IV，177； cetabba-rūpaṃ fit to be thought upon J．IV，157．（=°yuttakaṃ C．）．–atta-rūpena on my own account S．IV，97； godha-rūpena as an iguana Mhvs 28，9．-
- D．（as philos．t．t．） principle of （material） form，materiality，visibility．– There are var．groups of psychological and metaphysical systematizations，in which rūpa functions as the material，gross factor，by the side of other，more subtle factors．In all these representations of rūpa we find that an element of moral psychology overshadows the purely philosophical & speculative aspect．A detailed （Abhidhammatic） discussion of rūpa in var．aspects is to be found at Dhs．§ 585–980．‹-› 1．rūpa as āyatana or sense object．It is the object of the activity or sphere of the organ of sight （cakkhu）．‹-› 2．（metaphysically） as the representative of sensory or material existence：（a） universally as forming the corporeal stratum in the world of appearance or form （rūpa- bhava） as compared with the incorporeal （arūpa-bhava），being itself above，and yet including the kāma-bhava．（The kāmabhava is a subdivision of rūpabhava，which has got raised into a third main division．） This triad is also found in combns with loka or dhātu – （b） individually in the sphere of saṃsāra as one （i．e．the material quality） of the substrata of sensory individual existence or the khandhas．
rūpa n. figure, forme; signe | apparence, extérieur, aspect; image; couleur; espèce | grâce, beauté | phil. [sāṃkhya] la perception [tanmātra] de la vue [cakṣus]; son régent [niyantṛ] est Āditya | phil. [vaiśeṣika] la propriété [guṇa] de la forme ou aspect | bd. la forme, un des 5 agrégats [skandha] de l'ego | math. symb. le nombre 1 — f. rūpā ifc. semblable à (comme le fr.-aire: sūryarūpa solaire).