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abhivādetvā

absolutive (gerund) of abhivādeti

1. having bowed down; having paid high respect (to)

Built from

• abhi — prefix · toward, bearing down
  Facing someone with respect or deference, like Latin ob- in 'observe'. The prefix here carries the sense of approaching with reverence.
• vād — root · speak, say, greet
  From Indo-European *wad- 'speak'. Related to vāda 'speech, greeting'. In this context it means a respectful salutation or greeting expressed through the body.
• e — stem · causative suffix
  Marks the verbal stem as causative: 'causes bowing' or 'produces greeting', making abhivādeti 'bows (to), pays respect (to)'.
• tvā — ending · absolutive
  Converts the finite verb to a gerund expressing a completed action before the main verb, here 'having bowed' or 'having paid respect'.

Analysis. abhi-vāde-tvā: abhi ('toward and over') + vāde ('bowing, greeting') + -tvā (absolutive suffix). The prefix abhi brings the sense of bearing down toward someone in respect or deference.

Etymology. abhi- (toward, bearing down) + √vad 'speak, say' (related to Latin vadōmonium 'a pledge, oath' and English 'wade'; vāda in Pali means 'greeting, speech'). The concrete image is of speaking toward someone with the body bent — hence 'bowing'.

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

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