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ghāyitvā

absolutive (gerund) of gharati

1. having smelled

Built from

• gha — root · smell
  The sensory root meaning to perceive odours or to sniff. Cognate with Sanskrit ghrāṇa (nose, smell) and possibly related to Greek χραίνω (rub, scrape).
• y — stem · gerund formant
  Present tense stem marker, forming ghar- > ghāy- in the causative or intensive sense of actively smelling.
• itvā — ending · absolute
  Absolutive suffix marking a completed action as anterior or contemporaneous with the main verb; functions as a gerund ('having smelled').

Etymology. From √ghra (to smell), cognate with Sanskrit ghrāṇa (nose, smell), Greek χραίνω khrainō (to rub, scrape), and English 'grin' in the sense of baring the teeth in a sniffing gesture. The root is ancient and carries the sense of nostrils and smelling.

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

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