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paṭisevanti

paṭisevati

pr 3rd pl of paṭisevati (verb)

1. practices; indulges; engages (in); lit. associates
2. uses; makes use (of); lit. associates
3. experiences; enjoys; suffers; reaps; lit. associates
4. resorts (to); frequents; lives (in); lit. associates

Built from

• paṭi — prefix · back, toward, against
  Directional prefix marking return or counter-engagement. Bears the sense 'against' or 'back toward' an action or object.
• sev — root · associate with, attend on
  Sanskrit sevate 'serves'; the concrete image is closeness and attendance. Combined with paṭi-, it conveys engaged, recurring association.
• a — stem · thematic vowel
  Marks the thematic verb class (a-stems) in Pali.
• nti — ending · 3rd person plural present
  Regular ending for plural active forms in present tense, expressing habitual or repeated action in the present.

Analysis. paṭi + sevati: 'back toward' + 'associates with', hence to take up in return, engage with habitually.

Etymology. paṭi- (back, against, counter to; from proto-Indo-European *pret- 'before, forward', here directional) + √sev- (associate with, attend on; related to Sanskrit sevate 'serves, attends'). The prefix reverses the simple verb's sense inward: from mere association to engaged, habitual practice. No direct European cognates for the root, but the prefix paṭi- works like Greek προτί 'toward' and Latin contra 'against'.

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

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