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āsavā

āsava

masc nom pl of āsava (noun); masc instr sg of āsava (noun); masc abl sg of āsava (noun); masc voc sg of āsava (noun); …

1. āsava (masc): discharge from a sore; suppuration from a wound
2. āsava (masc): discharge; suppuration; outflow; effluent; (comm) defilement
3. āsava (nt): discharge; suppuration; outflow; effluent
4. āsava (masc): extract; liquor; spirit
5. āsavant (masc): name of a group of deities; lit. having desire quality
6. āsavi (aor): flowed

Built from

• ā — prefix · toward, arriving
  Prefix marking direction toward and arrival; here it completes the action of flowing, giving the sense of outflow or accumulated liquid.
• sav — root · flow, seep
  Root meaning to flow or seep; found in sāveti (causes to flow). The concrete imagery is liquid movement.
• a — ending · masc nom/instr/abl/voc
  Masculine a-stem nominal ending; here marking plural nominative, singular instrumental, ablative, or vocative.

Etymology. ā + √sav (flow). The prefix ā- (toward the speaker, up to and arriving) reverses or completes the action of √sav (flow, seep), yielding the sense of liquid flowing forth or accumulating. Cognate with Sanskrit āsrava (discharge, effusion). The doctrinal sense 'defilement' (Pali āsava: ignorance, sensuality, becoming, views) reflects the imagery of corruption seeping out from the mind.

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

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