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bhikkhavoti

bhikkhavo

nominative plural masculine of bhikkhu

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

Built from

• bhikkhu — root · monk
  From √bhaj 'share, divide'; a bhikkhu is one who lives by receiving alms and has renounced household life. A technical doctrinal term for a fully ordained male monastic in the Sangha.
• -o — ending · nominative plural
  Masculine nominative plural ending -o (from older -ās); marks the subject of the clause or a nominative form used in address.
• iti — root · thus, saying
  Quotative particle introducing direct speech or emphasizing vocative address; literally 'thus'. Used here to mark the following vocative appeal to monks.

Analysis. bhikkhavo + iti: bhikkhu (monk) in nominative plural + iti (quotative particle meaning 'thus, saying'); used to introduce direct speech or emphasize a vocative address to monks.

Etymology. bhikkhu derives from the root √bhaj (to share, divide, enjoy) with the sense 'one who shares in alms'; cognate with Sanskrit bhikṣu. The prefix bhi- may reflect an older form of the root, or the word may contain a suffix -khu of unknown origin. No clear Indo-European cognate, but the semantic field (mendicancy, renunciation) is distinctly Buddhist.

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

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