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adhomukho
adhomukha
masc nom sg of adhomukha (adj)
- glum; downcast; dispirited; lit. down face
- facing downwards; lit. down face
- bent over, turned upside down; lit. down face
Built from
- adho — prefix · down
From adhi 'on top, presiding' + o/ava 'down': the fusion expresses downward direction and descent. Concrete imagery: position below; abstract use: depression, aversion.
- mukha — root · face, direction
From √much 'to release, let go', originally 'opening'; hence 'face' as the opening of the head, and 'direction' as the way one faces. Cognate: English mouth (from PIE *meu- 'to open, push out').
- o — ending · masc nom sg
Masculine nominative singular ending in -o; agrees with adhomukha as an adjective predicate or attributive modifier.
Analysis. adho (down) + mukha (face, direction); literally 'down-faced', hence figuratively dispirited or literally inverted.
Etymology. adhi (on top of, above) + o (down, variant of ava): the prefix adho- is a fusion expressing downward direction. Cognate imagery: English down, Latin de- (descent). The compound fuses spatial and emotional registers: a downturned face signals dejection.