bhikkhū

bhikkhi

reflx aor 3rd pl of bhikkhi (verb); masc nom pl of bhikkhu (noun); masc acc pl of bhikkhu (noun); masc voc pl of bhikkhu (noun)

bhikkhi (aor): begged; begged for alms
bhikkhu (masc): monk; monastic; mendicant; fully ordained monk; lit. beggar

Built from

bhikkh — root · to beg, ask for alms
The concrete image is the outstretched hand requesting sustenance. This root grounds the institution of the Sangha in material dependence and humility.
u — ending · masculine singular nominative agent noun
The suffix -u forms agent nouns from verbal roots; the plural -ū (shown here as bhikkhū) marks multiple mendicants or monks in nominative case.

Etymology. From the root bhikkh-, meaning 'to beg' or 'to ask'; the noun bhikkhu (literally 'beggar') became the standard term in Buddhism for a fully ordained male monastic who lives by alms. The term reflects the early Sangha's practice of mendicancy as a path of renunciation. Sanskrit bhikṣu; no clear Indo-European cognates, though the semantic field (asking, requesting) connects distantly to roots meaning 'to divide' or 'to distribute' (one asks for a share). The doctrinal shift from 'beggar' to 'virtuous renunciate' reflects Buddhist values: the bhikkhu embodies non-attachment through literal dependence on the generosity of householders.

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

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