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kiṁpabhavo

masculine nominative singular; a noun compound

1. what kind of origin or becoming
2. how something arises or originates

Built from

• kiṁ — root · what (interrogative)
  Asks for identification or manner. Cognate with English 'who' and Latin 'quod' through the Indo-European root *kwo-.
• pa — prefix · forth, forward
  Brings out the sense of becoming that steps forward or manifests; pa intensifies and directs.
• bhavo — stem · becoming, origin, state
  From √bhavati 'to become.' Marks the derived nominal stem in -o ending; refers to a mode of existence or arising.

Analysis. kiṁ (interrogative pronoun 'what') + pabhavo (becoming, origin, from √bhavati 'to become'). The compound asks 'what is the mode of arising?' — a standard doctrinal question about the nature and cause of phenomena.

Etymology. kiṁ derives from the Indo-European interrogative *kwo-; pabhavo is pa- (forward, forth) + bhavo (state of being, from √bhavati 'to become'), so literally 'becoming that comes forth.' √bhavati is cognate with English 'be', Latin 'fui', Sanskrit 'bhavati'.

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

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