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paṭipajjati

pr 3rd sg of paṭipajjati (verb)

1. follows a path; undertakes a journey; travels
2. practices; follows a course of action; follows a method
3. goes to; walks along
4. does (about); acts (in regard to); behaves (towards)
5. takes possession; makes use (of)

Built from

• paṭi — prefix · back, against
  Spatial prefix indicating turning back toward or taking up in return; here suggesting undertaking a path oneself.
• pa — prefix · forth, forward
  Intensifying prefix indicating motion forth or out ahead.
• pad — root · go, walk
  Root shared with Sanskrit padati, English foot, Latin pes, Greek pous — all from Indo-European *ped-.
• -ti — ending · 3rd singular present
  Thematic present-tense ending marking third-person singular active voice.

Analysis. paṭi- (back, toward) + pajjati (goes forth). The prefix paṭi- suggests turning back along a path or taking it up in return; pajjati is the verb 'to go/proceed forth'.

Etymology. paṭi (back, against, counter) + √pad (go, walk). The root √pad appears in Sanskrit padati 'goes, walks' and English foot, Latin pes, Greek pous — all from Indo-European *ped-. The prefix paṭi- originally spatial ('back, against') extends to mean 'along' or 'in the manner of', so paṭipajjati captures the sense of taking up a path oneself, treading it in one's own way.

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

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