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abhivādeti

pr 3rd sg of abhivādeti (verb)

1. bows down; pays high respect (to)

Built from

• abhi- — prefix · toward, over
  Facing and bearing down on; cognate with Latin ob-. Here it adds respect and intensity to the act of addressing.
• vād — root · speak, address
  Cognate with English word and Latin vādere. The root denotes speaking or uttering.
• -e — ending · 3rd singular present
  Marks the 3rd person singular present indicative in the thematic conjugation.
• -ti — ending · present indicative
  The thematic vowel -e- and ending -ti together form the present indicative ending.

Analysis. abhi- (toward, bearing down on) + vādeti (speaks, addresses), hence to address respectfully by bowing; also interpreted as abhi- + vāda (salutation, speech).

Etymology. abhi- (toward and over, cognate with Latin ob- in observe, obtain) combines with √vad (speak), which is itself cognate with English word, Latin vādere. The prefix's concrete sense of bearing down or facing toward someone shapes the meaning: to face someone respectfully by speaking and bowing.

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

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