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chetvā

absolutive of chetati (3rd singular optative would be cheyya)

1. having cut off; having severed; (comm) having killed; lit. having cut
2. having injured; (comm) having beaten; lit. having cut
3. having cut up; having sliced up; lit. having cut
4. (of a stream) having cut across; having breasted; having forded; lit. having cut

Built from

• chet — root · cut, sever
  Transitive root meaning to cut, break, or sever. Cognate with Greek σχίζω (split) and Sanskrit छिद् chid-.
• tvā — ending · absolutive
  Absolutive ending forming an uninflected verbal adjective expressing a completed action prior to the main verb, used throughout the Pali canon to mark actions accomplished before the event of the sentence.

Etymology. √chet- (to cut) cognate with Sanskrit छित्वा chettvā, Greek σχίζω schízō (split, cleave), and English sheath (the covering that is cut off); the root appears in chinna- (cut, broken) and reflects Proto-Indo-European *skeyd- (to split, divide).

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

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