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adhigacchanti

adhigacchati

pr 3rd pl of adhigacchati (verb)

1. gets; finds; acquires; obtains; lit. arrives at
2. finds out (about); understands; realizes; lit. arrives at
3. attains; reaches; gets to; lit. arrives at

Built from

• adhi — prefix · on top of, presiding over
  Spatial prefix: standing over something, hence mastery or full arrival at knowledge. Related to Sanskrit adhi.
• gacch — root · go, come, arrive
  Indo-European √gam, seen in English 'come' and Latin 'venire'. The root expresses motion toward a destination.
• a — ending · 3rd person present
  Thematic marker and primary ending combined, marking 3rd person plural indicative present tense.
• nti — ending · plural marker
  Plural suffix for 3rd person, stacked on the thematic and primary endings.

Analysis. adhi + gacchati: 'presiding over' + 'goes'; moving toward and into mastery or full comprehension of something.

Etymology. From adhi- (on top of, presiding over, from Indo-European *adhi-) + √gam (go, come; cognate with English 'come', Latin 'venire'). The prefix adhi- retains its concrete sense of 'on top of, standing over' in abstract doctrinal usage: to 'go on top of' or 'arrive at a commanding position over' something is to master, comprehend, or attain it.

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

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