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sevitabbā
sevitabba
masc nom pl of sevitabba (ptp); fem nom sg of sevitabba (ptp); fem nom pl of sevitabba (ptp); nt nom pl of sevitabba (ptp); …
- should be associated with; should be affiliated with; should be partaken of; lit. to be associated
- should be practised; should be followed; should be undertaken; lit. to be associated
- should be served; lit. to be associated
- in reference to MN114 Sevitabbāsevitabbasutta; lit. to be associated
Built from
- sev — root · serve, associate
To serve, tend, keep close to someone; related to Sanskrit sevate and cognate with Latin servare 'to keep, guard' and English save — the original sense is 'to hold near, attend to'.
- i — ending · 3rd sg. present
Present indicative suffix marking the base sevati (he/she/it serves, associates with).
- tabba — ending · should be, fit to be
Gerundive suffix (obligative participle) forming the sense 'fit to be, should be, worthy of being'; inflects as adjective. Attached to the present stem sev-i- to yield the obligatory sense 'should be served/practised/associated with'.
Etymology. sevati (to serve, associate, be intimate with) + -tabba (gerundive suffix: should be, fit to be). The root sev- is related to Sanskrit sevate and likely cognate with English 'save' and Latin 'servare' (to keep, guard, protect) — originally 'to keep close, hold near', hence 'to serve, tend, associate with'. The prefix-less root carries the sense of attending to, keeping company with.