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sāyitvā

absolutive of sāyati

1. having tasted

Built from

• sāy — stem · taste
  Root √sā with -ya- infix to form the present stem sāyati. The -y- is a thematic infix common in Pali to build present-tense verbs; sāy- means to taste, savor, relish.
• it — ending · past participle
  Suffix -ita, the perfect participle marker, turns the verb into an adjective describing a completed action. Here it marks sāyita, 'tasted.'
• vā — ending · absolutive
  The suffix -tvā (here -vā after -ita) marks the absolutive mood, expressing an action prior to and leading into the main verb, as in 'having tasted, he...'. This is a clause-linking participle, not a finite verb.

Etymology. √sā (to taste) is cognate with Sanskrit svad- (taste, savor), Greek ἥδυς (hēdys, sweet), and Latin suāvis (sweet, pleasant) — all from Indo-European *sweḱ- (taste, sweetness). The suffix -ita marks the absolutive (perfect participle expressing prior action); -tvā reinforces completion and transition to the next action.

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

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