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bhojanīyaṁ

bhojanīya

accusative neuter singular of bhojanīya (adjective)

1. food, nourishment
2. something to be eaten
3. edible

Built from

• bhoj — root · eat, consume
  The root √bhuj 'to eat' underlying bhojana. Concrete imagery of partaking, consuming nourishment.
• ana — ending · action noun
  Nominalizing suffix forming bhojana (eating, food) from the root.
• īya — ending · fit for, worthy of
  Adjective-forming suffix denoting suitability or fitness; marks bhojanīya as 'that which ought to be eaten' or 'edible'.

Analysis. bhojana (eating, food) + -īya (adjective suffix denoting fitness or suitability); literally 'fit for eating' or 'that which should be eaten'. In the canon, often used in the context of the four requisites (cātasso nissaya) to denote the material food sustaining the body.

Etymology. From √bhuj (to eat, partake), cognate with Latin fugere (to flee, to enjoy) and English enjoy in the sense of 'consume'. The suffix -īya creates adjectives expressing fitness or appositeness, common in Pali nominalizations.

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

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