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bhikkhaveti

bhikkhave

vocative plural of bhikkhu (masc)

1. bhikkhave (masc): monks
2. bhikkhu (masc): monk; monastic; mendicant; fully ordained monk; lit. beggar

Built from

• bhikkhu — root · monk, mendicant
  One who has gone forth and lives by alms; the feminine bhikkhunī forms the order of nuns. The root sense is 'to beg or share'; possibly cognate with Sanskrit bhaj- 'to share, allot', though Pali lexicographers debate the ultimate origin.
• -ve — ending · vocative plural (sandhi)
  Vocative plural of -ā (normally bhikkhā), shifted to -ve before the initial vowel of iti ('thus, so'). Used throughout the canon to address assembled monks at the start of suttas.

Analysis. bhikkhave + iti: vocative plural particle 'bhikkhave' followed by the quotative suffix iti, framing direct address to monks in canonical discourse.

Etymology. bhikkhu: from a root meaning 'to beg, share' (possibly related to Sanskrit bhaj- 'to share, divide, partake', though the etymology within Pali is complex); the word denotes one who has renounced lay life and depends on alms. The vocative -ve is a phonetic sandhi form of the nominative plural ending -ā before the vowel of iti.

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

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