masc instr sg of tuṇhībhāva (noun)
Analysis. tuṇhī (silent, quiet) + bhāva (state, condition). A compound noun meaning 'state of silence' or 'the condition of being silent'; the instrumental case marks the means or manner by which something is done.
Etymology. tuṇhī is an adjective meaning 'silent' or 'quiet', related to Sanskrit tūṣṇīm 'in silence'. bhāva (from √bhū 'to become, be') means 'state' or 'becoming'. The root √bhū is cognate with English 'be' and Latin 'fui' (past of esse). The compound thus combines an inherited adjective of silence with a productive suffix for states and conditions.
Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.
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