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ajjāpi

ajja

ind

1. today; now

Built from

• ajja — stem · today, this day
  From √aj 'move, drive' + deictic -a. The root imagery is forward motion into the moment being indicated.
• api — root · even, also
  Emphatic particle; from √ap 'reach, touch', originally marking connection or joining. Here it reinforces the temporal immediacy of ajja.

Analysis. ajja (today) + api (even, also); = even today, to this day.

Etymology. ajja from √aj (drive, move forward) + -a (deictic suffix pointing to present moment); cognate with Sanskrit aja- in similar temporal contexts. The sense evolved from 'driven into the present' to 'this present day'. api is the emphatic particle 'even, also' (from √ap, to reach, touch, hence 'joining up to').

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

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