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bahudhā

indeclinable (adverb)

1. in many ways; in many forms

Built from

• bahu — root · many, much
  Cognate with English 'big', German 'Bug'. The root implies fullness or multiplicity, the spatial sense of taking up room.
• dhā — ending · by means of, in the manner of
  Derives from √dhā 'place, put' (English 'do', Latin 'facere'). This suffix turns abstract nouns into adverbials expressing the manner or mode of an action, literally 'by placing' or 'in the setting of'.

Analysis. bahu- (many) + -dhā (suffix forming adverbials from abstract nouns), possibly influenced by dha- (place, put); literally 'in many placements' or 'by many modes'.

Etymology. bahu 'much, many' is cognate with English 'big' and German 'Bug' (bend, curve); the abstract sense derives from Indo-European *bʰeǵ- 'to bend, make room for'. The suffix -dhā derives from √dhā 'to place, put' (cognate with English 'do', German 'tun', Latin 'facere'), suggesting an underlying notion of 'in many settings' or 'by many placements'. The adverbial form is built on the pattern of Pali abstract nouns like sukhā (happiness, from sukha 'pleasant') and dukkhadhā 'in the way of suffering'.

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

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