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āyasmato

āyasmant

masc dat sg of āyasmant (noun); masc abl sg of āyasmant (noun); masc gen sg of āyasmant (noun); masc dat sg of āyasmant (adj); …

1. sir; venerable; reverend; lit. having age quality
2. venerable; respectable; lit. having long life quality

Built from

• ā — prefix · toward, up to
  Reversal prefix bringing the sense of long life toward and toward honoring the addressee.
• ayus — root · life, age, span of years
  Cognate with Sanskrit āyus and Greek aiōn (age, aeon); PIE *ayu-. The root sense of vital duration underlies the honorific: age commands respect.
• -mant — ending · possessing, endowed with
  Possessive-forming suffix from PIE *-ment-, cognate with Sanskrit -mant and Latin -mens (as in sapiens). Creates adjectives meaning 'having X' or 'rich in X'.

Etymology. ā + ayus (life, age) + -mant (possessive suffix). The prefix ā- reverses the direction of the root √i (go), bringing the sense toward the speaker; ayus derives from Proto-Indo-European *ayu- (life, vital force), cognate with Sanskrit āyus, Greek aiōn (age, aeon), and English eye (originally the seat of life-force). The -mant suffix creates possessive adjectives (having, endowed with), as in Sanskrit -mant. Combined, āyasmant means literally one who possesses (long) life or age, hence worthy of respect—a respectful form of address.

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

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