gopānasiyo

gopānasī

fem nom pl of gopānasī (noun); fem acc pl of gopānasī (noun); fem voc pl of gopānasī (noun)

beam; rafter; wooden framework of a thatch roof

Built from

gopā — stem · cow
From √gam (go); cattle as 'that which goes'. Cognate with English 'go', Latin cessī (go).
nāsī — stem · nose
From √nas (smell); cognate with English 'nose', Latin nāsus. The nose-like projection of a roof beam.

Analysis. gopā- (cow-) + nāsī (nose), metaphorically applied to roof beams; the 'nose' or projecting end of a beam that looks like an animal's snout.

Etymology. gopā (cow, from √gam 'go' — cattle as that which goes) + nāsī (nose, from √nas 'smell'; cognate with English 'nose', Latin nāsus, Sanskrit nāsikā). The compound transfers the animal's snout to architectural projection, a common pattern in technical vocabulary.

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

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