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kassapova

kassapa

masculine nominative singular with emphatic particle

1. name of the 1st previous Buddha; lit. descendant of Kassapa
2. name of a deity; lit. descendant of Kassapa
3. family name; lit. descendant of Kassapa
4. name of a Vedic sage; lit. descendant of Kassapa
5. name of an arahant monk; lit. descendant of Kassapa

Built from

• kassap- — root · Kassapa
  A proper noun and patronymic, 'descendant of Kassapa.' Appears as the name of the first previous Buddha in the Pali canon, several named monks and deities, and a Vedic sage.
• -a — ending · masculine nominative
  Masculine singular nominative inflection in citation form. Nominative case shows the subject or nominalized referent.
• eva — prefix · indeed, emphatic
  An emphatic or restrictive particle, 'just, only, very.' Standing after a nominative form, it lends emphasis or exclusivity to the referent. No sandhi changes occur here; kassapo + eva → kassapova in compounds or emphatic utterance.

Analysis. kassapo (nominative singular of kassapa) + eva (emphatic particle meaning 'indeed, just, only'). The nominative form becomes kassapo when standing before eva in sandhi.

Etymology. Kassapa is a proper noun and family name, derived from kassa + apa. Kassa may relate to Sanskrit kaśa 'grass' or be connected to a primordial sage-lineage. The name appears across Vedic and Buddhist traditions. No secure Indo-European cognate.

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

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