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bhikkhunīpi

bhikkhunī

feminine noun + indeclinable particle (nominative or other oblique case)

1. nun; fully ordained nun

Built from

• bhikkhunī — stem · nun, mendicant
  Feminine agent noun formed from bhikku- (one who begs). In canon, the bhikkhunī saṅgha (order of nuns) is the fourth component of the Buddhist community alongside bhikkhus, upāsakas, and upāsikās.
• pi — ending · even, also, too
  Enclitic particle of emphasis and inclusion (often written -pi or -pī in manuscripts). Adds inclusive or emphatic force: 'even a nun', implying the statement applies to nuns as well as others, or highlights the nun's status in the context.

Analysis. bhikkhunī + api: 'nun' + 'even, also'; the enclitic api marks inclusion or emphasis, here stressing that even nuns (are included in the teaching or practice).

Etymology. bhikkhunī is the feminine of bhikkhu (< bhikku-, derived from bhikṣ- 'to beg'; Sanskrit bhikṣu, related to Latin fīcus, itself possibly connected to the root bheik- 'to break apart', as in one reduced to asking). The suffix -nī marks the feminine agent noun. api is an ancient enclitic meaning 'also, even, too'; cognate with Latin -que, Sanskrit -api, and perhaps Greek apo- in its emphatic sense.

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

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