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abhikkhaṇanto

abhikkhaṇanta

masc nom sg of abhikkhaṇanta (prp); masc nom pl of abhikkhaṇanta (prp); masc voc pl of abhikkhaṇanta (prp); nt voc pl of abhikkhaṇanta (prp)

1. digging; turning up the soil; lit. digging deeper

Built from

• abhi — prefix · toward, bearing down
  Prefix marking approach and pressure toward a goal. Cognate: Latin ob- (observe, obtain).
• khan — root · dig, scratch
  Root meaning to dig or turn up earth. Related to Sanskrit khānati; possibly connected to the turning/churning image in words like English churn.
• anta — ending · present participle
  Masculine nominative singular ending for present participles (-ant- stem), marking ongoing action. Here, continuous digging.

Analysis. abhi + √khan + anta: 'digging toward and over' — the prefix abhi- adds the sense of bearing down on something, intensifying the action of the root khan (to dig); the participle ending -anta marks continuous action.

Etymology. abhi (toward, bearing down on; Latin ob- in observe, obtain) + khan (to dig, scratch; related to Sanskrit khānati and possibly English churn, which turns/churns material together). The spatial sense of abhi (toward and over) sharpens the simple action of digging into a sense of digging down into, excavating.

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

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