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piyā

piya

masc nom pl of piya (adj); fem nom sg of piya (adj); fem nom pl of piya (adj); nt nom pl of piya (adj); …

1. piya (adj): dear (to); beloved (by); loved (by)
2. piya (adj): liked; pleasant; agreeable
3. piya (masc): husband; lover; partner
4. piya (nt): friend; dear one; loved one
5. piya (nt): love; friendship
6. piyā (fem): wife

Etymology. Root *piyá- (Indo-European *peyk- 'to cut, mark, decorate'); related to Sanskrit priyá-, Greek poikilós 'ornate, marked', and English peace (from the sense of 'marked out, settled'). The semantic shift from 'decorated, marked as special' to 'dear, beloved' parallels the social meaning of ornamentation as a sign of favor.

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

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