accusative singular masculine or nominative/accusative plural neuter of panima (adjective)
Analysis. pa- (forward, forth) + nima (bent, inclined) — literally 'bent forward', hence what comes before or is prior in time or sequence.
Etymology. From pa- (forward) and nima- (bent, inclined, related to Sanskrit nati 'bending'). The spatial sense of pa- (forth, forward) combines with the idea of bending or leaning to express what stands forward temporally: the prior or previous.
Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.
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