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abhikkantāya

abhikkanta

fem instr sg of abhikkanta (pp); masc dat sg of abhikkanta (pp); fem dat sg of abhikkanta (pp); nt dat sg of abhikkanta (pp); …

1. superb; surpassing; excellent; lit. gone forward
2. going forward; going along; progressing; lit. gone forward
3. advanced; progressed; moved on; (comm) ending; depletion; lit. gone forward
4. (of an army) advanced; attacked; lit. gone forward

Built from

• abhi — prefix · toward, over
  Facing something, bearing down on it; from Latin ob-. Intensifies the sense of forward progress.
• kam — root · go, move
  The root of kamati ('goes'). Cognate with English come; Sanskrit cam-. The concrete imagery of stepping forward underlies the meanings of advancement and excellence.
• ta — ending · (past participle)
  Perfect passive participle marker, indicating completed action in the past. Forms an adjective meaning 'gone' or 'moved'.

Analysis. abhi + √kam (with perfect passive participle -ta): 'gone forward toward', hence advanced or excellent. The prefix abhi- ('toward, bearing down on') combines with the root of kamati ('goes, moves') to form a sense of forward progress or superiority.

Etymology. abhi- ('toward, over', from Latin ob-, cf. obtain, observe) + kam- ('move, go', Sanskrit cam-, cognate with English come). The spatial sense of forward motion, intensified by the prefix, became the sense of advancement and excellence in the tradition.

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

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