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upasaṅkamantā

upasaṅkamanta

masc nom pl of upasaṅkamanta (prp); nt nom pl of upasaṅkamanta (prp); masc voc pl of upasaṅkamanta (prp); nt voc pl of upasaṅkamanta (prp)

1. approaching; going (to); lit. going near

Built from

• upa — prefix · near, up close to
  Spatial prefix marking approach and proximity. Related to Greek hypo-, Latin sub-, English up.
• saṅ — prefix · together
  Reinforces convergence and intensifies the notion of approaching as a unified movement.
• kam — root · go, move
  Root cognate with Latin venire 'come' and Sanskrit gacchati. The concrete sense is simple motion.
• a — stem · thematic vowel
  Standard thematic vowel of the present stem.
• ṁ — ending · nominative plural
  Nominative or vocative plural ending for all three genders in the participle, marking the subject of the verb in the nominative case or direct address in the vocative.
• tā — ending · masculine/neuter plural participle
  Masculine nominative plural participle ending -anta, here inflected as -antā in the nominative/vocative plural.

Analysis. upa- (near, up close to) + saṅ- (together) + kamati (goes): literally 'goes together near', hence approaches or draws near to someone.

Etymology. upa- (up close to, near, alongside; Greek hypo-, Latin sub-, English up) + √kam (go, move; cognate with Latin venire 'come', Sanskrit gacchati). The prefix upa- marks approach and intimate proximity; saṅ- (together) intensifies the sense of convergence. In canonical usage, upasaṅkamati describes disciples or petitioners going near the Buddha or an elder to pay respect or seek instruction.

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

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