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carahi

indeclinable particle

1. then; therefore; now

Built from

• car — root · walk, move, proceed
  Common Indo-European root; cognate with Latin currere and English car. Expresses motion and progression.
• a — ending · imperative singular
  Forms the imperative mood, here fossilized within the particle.
• hi — prefix · indeed, then, emphatic
  An emphatic particle (from √ha) that reinforces assertion and marks discourse transitions. Common in Pali as a sentence connective.

Analysis. Sandhi contraction: cara + hi. cara is the imperative of carati "walk, move, proceed"; hi is an emphatic particle. The form literally suggests "move then!" or "proceed (therefore)" — used to mark transitions and logical progression in discourse.

Etymology. √car (carati, to walk, move, proceed) is cognate with Latin currere (to run) and English car. The root expresses motion and progression; the particle hi (emphatic, from √ha) adds assertion. Together they form a discourse marker expressing temporal sequence and logical consequence.

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

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