‹ Back to the text

adhigacchati

pr 3rd sg 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, above
  Spatial prefix meaning 'mounted upon' or 'presiding over', here used to express reaching toward and grasping a goal or state. Common in compounds of attainment and realization.
• gacch- — root · goes, moves
  Root √gam (to go, move) shared with Sanskrit gacchati. In English: come, go (via Germanic cognate). The motion sense persists even in abstract uses of adhigacchati.
• -ati — ending · 3rd sg present
  Present indicative active ending marking third person singular; the form describes what one does, obtains, or reaches as an ongoing action.

Analysis. adhi- (on top of, presiding over) + gacchati (goes, moves); literally 'goes over/onto', hence 'arrives at, reaches, attains'.

Etymology. The root √gam (to go) appears in Sanskrit gacchati and English cognates like 'come' and 'go'. The prefix adhi- (on top of, above) shows its spatial sense of mounting or ascending above something, which becomes the sense of reaching a goal or attaining a state. In doctrinal usage, adhigacchati expresses the realization or attainment of insight, merit, and the fruits of the path.

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

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version