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bhayabheravaṁ

bhayabherava

accusative singular masculine of bhayabherava (compound adjective); resolves to bhaya-bherava

1. frightening
2. inspiring fear and terror
3. dreadful

Built from

• bhaya — root · fear
  From √bhī 'to be afraid'; the noun form expressing the emotion. Related to the root sense of 'opening wide' (mouth in fear).
• bherava — stem · frightening, dreadful
  Derived from the same √bhī root with -ra suffix; functions as an adjective intensifying the sense of terror.
• -ṁ — ending · accusative singular
  Marks the word as accusative singular masculine, used predicatively or attributively after a noun.

Analysis. bhaya (fear, from √bhī 'to fear') + bherava (frightening, from √bherav- 'to terrify'); a dvandva-type compound meaning 'fear-inspiring' or 'frighten-dreadful'; the form bhayabheravaṁ is the accusative singular used attributively.

Etymology. bhaya derives from PIE *bʰeh₂- 'to gape, yawn' (→ English 'bay' as animal cry, and the notion of 'awe'); bherava is formed from the same root with -ra suffix, intensifying the sense. The compound fuses two near-synonymous terms for dread into a single vivid epithet, common in describing Māra or dangerous states.

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

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