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tameva

ta

pron + particle (sandhi form tameva = taṃ + eva)

1. ta (pron): that
2. ta (letter): (gram) letter t; 24th letter of the alphabet; dental sibilant
3. tameva (sandhi): that very; that same; just him; only that
4. taṃ (pron): it; that
5. taṃ (pron): him; her; one; that person; that thing
6. taṃ (pron): you (object)
7. tumha (pron): you
8. tvaṃ (pron): you (subject)

Built from

• ta- — root · that (demonstrative)
  Inherited from Indo-European *to-, the stem of English 'that' and Latin 'iste'. Selects or points to a single referent, often with emphasis in doctrinal contexts.
• -ṃ — ending · accusative singular
  Marks the direct object case; here applied to the demonstrative pronoun.
• eva — root · just, only, even (emphasis particle)
  An adverbial particle cognate with Sanskrit eva. Reinforces identity or exclusivity: 'just that, precisely so'. Often used in the Pali canon to mark a key doctrinal point.

Analysis. taṃ (accusative of ta, 'that') + eva (emphasis particle 'just, only, even'). The sandhi fusion of final -ṃ with initial e- yields -me-. Doctrinal sense: 'that very thing' or 'precisely that', often used to highlight a single point of doctrine or a key principle being reiterated.

Etymology. ta is inherited from Indo-European *to- (demonstrative base of English 'that', Latin 'iste'); eva is an adverbial particle meaning 'just' or 'even', cognate with Sanskrit eva, likely from a root meaning 'turn' or 'swerve' (hence 'just this way, exactly so'). Together they form a common canonical phrase marking emphasis and identity: e.g. in the Four Noble Truths, taṃ dukkhasaccaṃ tameva ariyasaccaṃ, 'that very suffering is precisely the Noble Truth'.

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

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