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passasissāmīti

passasati

3rd person singular optative + iti (quoted clause)

1. exhales; breathes out; lit. breathes forward

Built from

• pa — prefix · forward, forth
  The spatial sense of forward motion applied to breath: what is breathed out goes forth from the body.
• ssa — root · breathe
  A root related to Sanskrit śvas-, reflecting Indo-European *sweH₂- (breathe, resound). The doubled s reflects phonetic intensity or Pali's preference in certain verbal formations.
• sissāmi — ending · 3rd singular optative
  The optative mood (-sissāmi) marks what should or might happen, appropriate for speech reporting or indirect expression of intention or supposition.
• iti — ending · thus, that (quotative)
  Quotative particle marking the end of reported speech or thought; it frames the preceding optative as an utterance or mental state.

Analysis. passasissāmi (3rd sg. optative of passasati) + iti (quotative particle 'thus, that'). The optative expresses what should or would happen, here embedded in reported speech.

Etymology. From √pass- (breathe forward), itself from pa- (forward, forth) + √as- (breathe). The prefix pa- gives the sense of breathing that goes forth or out. Compare Sanskrit prasvasiti, Greek psukhē (breath, soul), English 'asthma' from Greek asthma (short of breath). The root √as- is ancient: Indo-European *h₂enH- (breathe, blow).

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

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