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pesso

pessa

masc nom sg of pessa (noun)

1. servant; messenger; runner; lit. to be sent
2. name of a layman; lit. to be sent

Built from

• pes — root · send, pass
  √pas (to send, put). The agent noun formation with -a (one who sends or is sent) produces an active meaning 'one sent on errand'.
• sa — ending · agent noun
  The masculine -a suffix forms agent nouns from verbal roots, here creating 'one sent', i.e. servant or messenger.

Etymology. From √pas (pass) via the agent noun suffix -a, meaning 'one who is sent'; related to Sanskrit pāśya- (messenger) and ultimately to the Indo-European root *pent- (to go, travel). The concrete image is of movement outward on an errand.

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

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