‹ Back to the text

hotu

hoti

imp 3rd sg of hoti (verb)

1. hoti (pr): is; becomes
2. hoti (pr): exists (for)
3. hoti (pr): stays; remains; continues to be; lit. is
4. hotu (imp): may it be (for)!
5. hotu (imp): let it be!; be that as it may!

Built from

• ho- — stem · become, be
  The present stem of √bhū, reduplicated and ablaut-shifted in formation; carries the spatial sense of emerging or arising.
• -tu — ending · optative 3rd singular
  Vedic imperative-optative particle expressing wish, permission, or mild command; 'may he/she/it be'. In this context, a formulaic closing in blessings and declarations.

Etymology. From Indo-European *bʰew- 'to grow, become, be'. Cognates: Sanskrit bhavati 'becomes', Latin fui 'was' (root of ferre, ferri), English be, German bin. The root preserves the original sense 'to grow, to come into being'; the stative sense 'to be, to exist' developed as the unmarked state of that becoming.

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

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version