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siyā

opt 3rd sg of siyā (verb)

1. could be; may be; might be; should be
2. there could be

Built from

• si — stem · be (optative base)
  Suppletive stem of √bhū used in the optative and potential moods. The root *bheu- gives rise to be, been, being across Indo-European languages.
• ā — ending · 3rd sg optative
  The optative personal ending -ā marks third person singular in the optative mood, expressing possibility, wish, or conditional sense.

Etymology. The optative stem sia- derives from the root √bhū (be, become) with a suppletive base in Pali. The optative mood expresses possibility, wish, or potential condition. Sanskrit bhavati shares the same root with Latin fui (I was), English be, and German bin — all from Indo-European *bheu- (grow, come into being, exist). The optative form expresses the modal sense 'might, could' rather than assertion.

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

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