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yāvakīvañca

indeclinable (sandhi form): yāva + kīvaṃ + ca

1. yāvakīvañca (sandhi): and as long as
2. yāvakīvaṃ (ind): as long as; so far as; to the extent that

Built from

• yāva — root · as long as, to the extent
  From √yam, to stretch or extend; in the temporal sense, marks the span or duration of something.
• kīvaṃ — stem · how much, how far
  Built from ki- (interrogative base related to Latin qui-) with -va enclitic; strengthens the sense of extent or measure.
• ca — ending · and
  Enclitic conjunction coordinating the two preceding terms; cognate with Latin -que (postpositive 'and').

Analysis. yāva (as long as, to the extent that) + kīvaṃ (how much, how far) + ca (and), a correlative compound: 'as long as and how much', meaning the full extent or duration of something.

Etymology. yāva from √yam (to hold, stretch, extend; cognate with English 'yoke' and Latin iungō); kīvaṃ from ki- (interrogative stem, like Latin quis 'who?') + -va (enclitic intensifier); ca is the conjunction 'and' (cognate with Latin -que, English 'and').

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

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