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anumodeyyaṁ

anumodati

1st person singular optative middle (or gerundive: 'should be rejoiced in'), from anumodati

1. to rejoice in
2. to appreciate
3. to approve of
4. to delight in another's merit

Built from

• anu — prefix · along, after
  Trailing behind, sympathetic alignment. The prefix turns a simple joy-emotion into a relational act: taking joy along with another.
• mud — root · be joyful, rejoice
  The concrete sense is an upwelling or swelling of the spirit; the root shares semantic field with English mood as a state of heart.
• e — stem · thematic vowel
  Forms the present stem of the verb; -e- is typical of -ā class verb stems in Pali.
• yyaṁ — ending · optative/gerundive middle
  The -yya- morpheme marks desiderative or potential force (what should be done or what it is fitting to do); -aṁ is the nominative/accusative neuter singular, functioning here as an infinitival or gerundival form meaning 'should be rejoiced in' or 'worthy of rejoicing in.'

Analysis. anu- (along, following) + √mud (to be joyful) — 'following in joy with', hence delighting in another's good deeds; a characteristic Buddhist practice of sharing in others' merit.

Etymology. anu- (tracking after, sympathetic alignment) + √mud (to be glad, cognate with English mood in its archaic sense of courage or state of mind). The compound captures the meditative practice of rejoicing in the virtue of others rather than envying them, especially after hearing of gifts or moral acts.

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

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