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ārabbha

masc voc sg of ārabbha (noun); imp 2nd sg of ārabbhati (verb)

1. ārabbha (ger): bringing forth; arousing; initiating; lit. beginning with
2. ārabbha (ind): concerning; referring (to); regarding; at the expense (of); owing to; lit. beginning with
3. ārabbhati (pr): begins; starts; initiates; undertakes; rouses oneself
4. ārabbha (masc): undertaking; initiative

Built from

• ā — prefix · toward, up to
  Reverses motion: here applied to √rabh to mean taking up something toward oneself, hence initiating or undertaking.
• rabh — root · seize, grasp, take up
  Related to Sanskrit rabh; cognate with English 'grab' and German 'raffen'. The concrete image is grasping or taking hold of something.
• a — ending · gerund/indeclinable
  Forms the gerund of ārabbhati, used adverbially or nominally to express the undertaking or commencement of an action.

Analysis. ā + √rabh. The prefix ā (toward, up to) reverses the direction of √rabh (to seize, grasp): where rabh means 'to take hold,' ārabbha means 'to take up toward oneself,' hence 'to undertake' or 'to begin with (something).' In the instrumental sense ('concerning, at the expense of'), the word retains the sense of 'taking as one's starting-point.'

Etymology. √rabh (to seize, grasp, take up) is related to Sanskrit rabh and likely to Germanic cognates such as English 'grab' and German 'raffen' (to snatch). The prefix ā reverses inceptive verbs, turning 'to grasp' into 'to grasp toward oneself, to undertake.'

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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