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namo

namas

masc nom sg of namas (noun); masc acc sg of namas (noun); aor 2nd sg of nami (verb)

1. namas (masc): reverence; veneration; homage (to); lit. bend
2. nami (aor): bent; inclined (towards)
3. nami (aor): bent, bowed down; lit. bent
4. namo (ind): reverence; veneration; homage (to); lit. bend

Built from

• nam — root · bend, bow
  The physical gesture of bending the body in deference underlies the meaning of reverence and submission. Found also in nami (present tense) and namas (noun of action: the bending itself, hence homage).
• -as — ending · nominative/accusative singular
  Masculine noun suffix marking the direct case. In namo, this ending is typically omitted in the indeclinable particle form used liturgically.

Etymology. From √nam 'to bend, bow', found in nami (present) and namas (noun of action). The concrete sense of physical bowing shaped the abstract meaning of respect and submission. Cognate with Sanskrit námas, Latin -nāre (bend), and English 'numb' (originally 'taken', from the sense of being held fast). The root √nam appears in Latin nāre 'to swim' (the body bent in water) and Greek némein 'to distribute' (bending to give). In Buddhist usage, namo functions as an indeclinable particle expressing reverence before a name: namo tassa bhagavato (homage to that Blessed One).

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

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