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yenāyasmā

sandhi form; locative of yena + nominative singular of āyasmā

1. where venerable

Built from

• yena — root · where
  Interrogative/relative adverb from √i 'to go', marking place or direction. Related to Sanskrit yatra.
• ā — prefix · toward
  Prefix marking completion or approach; here part of āyasmā. Reverses motion verbs and lends honorific force.
• as — root · be
  Root meaning 'to be' or 'exist'. Cognate with English 'is', Latin 'esse', Sanskrit 'as-'.
• -mant — ending · having, possessing
  Possessive suffix forming adjectives; here nominative singular -mā. Creates honorific sense: 'one who possesses' reverence or status.

Analysis. yena (rel. adv. 'where, in which place') + āyasmā (nom. sing. 'venerable one'). Sandhi: final -a of yena elides before vowel. Often marks the location or person before whom an action takes place in narrative.

Etymology. yena from √i 'go' (English 'ion', Latin 'ire'); āyasmā from ā- (toward) + √as 'be' + -mant (possessive suffix 'having'), literally 'one who has come to be' or 'honorable one'. The compound is formulaic in addressing or locating respected monks.

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

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