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ponobbhavikā

ponobbhavika

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

1. conducive to repeated becoming; leading to renewed existence; leading to rebirth

Built from

• pon- — prefix · again, repeated
  From puna- 'again'. Cognate with Sanskrit punar and Latin per-. Conveys the sense of return and reiteration.
• a- — prefix · toward (intensive)
  From abhi- 'toward, bearing down on', here shortened in sandhi before b. Intensifies the following root.
• bhav- — root · become, exist
  Sanskrit √bhū, Pali √bhū. Cognate with English be, German bin. The root frames becoming and existence.
• -ika — ending · conducive to, prone to
  Adjectival suffix forming adjectives from nominal stems; here marks the quality of being conducive to (the process named by the stem).

Analysis. pon- (prefix, from puna- 'again') + obbhavika (adj from bhava 'becoming, existence'). The compound means 'conducive to renewed/repeated becoming', a doctrinal term describing conditions that perpetuate the cycle of rebirth (saṃsāra).

Etymology. pona- (variant of puna- 'again'; cognate with Sanskrit punar, Latin per- 'through', English further) + bhavika (adj from bhava 'becoming', derived from √bhū 'to be/become'; cognate with English be, Sanskrit bhavati, Greek phyein). The prefix pona- preserves the sense of repetition and return; obbhavika is a contraction of *abhi-bhavika, with abhi- 'toward, bearing down on' intensifying the sense of 'conducive to becoming'.

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

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