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paññapetunti

paññapetuṃ

3rd person singular present causative of paññapeti (causative of paññāti)

1. to define; to delineate; to describe; lit. to cause to actively know

Built from

• pa — prefix · forward, forth
  Intensifying prefix meaning 'forth' (like Latin pro-, English for-). Here it directs knowledge outward and clearly.
• ñā — root · know, understand
  Cognate with Latin gnōscō 'know' and English know (Indo-European *gn̥-). The bare root gives knowing; with pa- it becomes distinct knowing.
• pe — ending · causative
  Pali causative suffix (from √i). Turns the root into a transitive action: 'causes X to know' rather than simply 'knows'. Here used in present 3rd singular active form.

Analysis. paññapetuṃ is the infinitive stem (pres. caus.) + iti (quotative particle marking reported speech); paññapeti is the finite form underlying it, built from pa + ñā + causative suffix -e-.

Etymology. The root √ñā (to know) is cognate with Latin gnōscō and English know (both from Indo-European *gn̥-). The prefix pa- (forward, forth, intensifying) here sharpens the sense to 'knowing that steps forth', i.e. knowing distinctly or defining. The causative -e- (borrowed from √i, to go, via the Vedic middle sense) makes the root transitive: 'cause to know clearly'.

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

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