pañhe

pañha

nt acc pl of pañha (noun); nt loc sg of pañha (noun); masc acc pl of pañha (noun); masc loc sg of pañha (noun); …

pañha (nt): question; enquiry
pañha (masc): question; enquiry
pañhā (fem): question; enquiry

Built from

pañha — root · question, enquiry
Derived from Sanskrit pra- + √prach (ask). The concrete imagery is "asking forward" — bringing an inquiry before someone. The form is inherited, not transparently decomposable in Pali itself.

Etymology. From Sanskrit praśna (प्रश्न), itself from the root pra- + √prach "to ask". The prefix pra- (forward, forth) combines with √prach (ask, inquire) to yield the sense of "asking forward, questioning". Cognates: Latin prōcēdō contains pro- (forward); English preach, price both descend from the same Indo-European root *prek- (ask, request). The Pali form shows regular sound change from Sanskrit ś to Pali ñ.

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

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version