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bhikkhūhi

bhikkhu

masc instr pl of bhikkhu (noun); masc abl pl of bhikkhu (noun)

1. monk; monastic; mendicant; fully ordained monk; lit. beggar

Built from

• bhikkhu — root · beggar, monk
  From Sanskrit bhikṣu, denoting one who lives by begging. The concrete image is of the mendicant who sustains life through alms-rounds (piṇḍapāta), embodying the monk's dependence on the laity and detachment from self-provision.
• -hi — ending · instrumental/ablative plural
  The -hi ending marks both instrumental ('by/with the monks') and ablative ('from the monks') in the plural. In canonical contexts, bhikkhūhi often appears in formulaic phrases describing the Buddha teaching in the presence of the assembled sangha of bhikkhūs.

Etymology. From Sanskrit bhikṣu, itself from the root bhikṣ- meaning 'to beg'. The word reflects the original identity of Buddhist monastics as wandering mendicants dependent on alms. Related conceptually to Greek πτωχός (ptōchós) 'beggar, poor' and Latin paupertas 'poverty', though these do not share a common Indo-European root. The Pali form shows regular sound changes from Sanskrit (kṣ > kh).

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

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