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nibbāyati

pr 3rd sg of nibbāyati (verb)

1. (of fire) is extinguished (from); goes out (because of); lit. blows out

Built from

• nis — prefix · out, away from
  Spatial prefix expressing ejection or removal. The fire moves out and away, ceasing to burn.
• vā — root · blow, fan
  Common root for breath and wind. Cognate with Sanskrit vāti, Latin ventus 'wind', English 'waft'. The metaphor of blowing out a flame is universal.
• ya — stem · causative/middle suffix
  Forms middle voice present tense, allowing reflexive sense: the fire extinguishes itself or is fanned away.
• ti — ending · 3rd singular present
  Marks third person singular indicative in present tense.

Analysis. nis + vā + yati: literally 'blows out away from', hence extinction of fire and, metaphorically, the cessation of craving and suffering.

Etymology. nis- (out, away from) + √vā (blow, fan) + -yati (present stem). The prefix nis- retains its concrete sense of expulsion: the fire blows itself out. Related to nibbāna (the unconditioned state where the fire of craving is extinguished), and to Sanskrit nir-vāti.

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

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