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asmīti

atthi

1st person singular present indicative; sandhi form asmīti with iti 'thus'

1. atthi (pr): there is; there exists
2. asmi (pr): I am
3. asmīti (sandhi): 'I am'

Built from

• asmi — root · I am
  The 1st person singular present of the copula. Cognate with Latin sum, English is, all descending from PIE *h₁es- 'to be/exist'.
• iti — stem · thus, so
  An indeclinable particle marking the end of direct speech or quoted thought. Here it underscores the declaration 'I am' as a self-assertion, a key target of anattā doctrine.

Analysis. asmi + iti: the verb 'I am' followed by iti 'thus', often used in contexts where the speaker quotes or emphasizes their own declaration (e.g. 'saying I am', implying an ego-claim the Buddha critiques).

Etymology. asmi from the root √as 'to be', cognate with Sanskrit asmi, Latin sum, English is (all from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es-). The present stem a- appears in Greek eimi 'I am'. iti 'thus' is an indeclinable particle marking the boundary of reported speech.

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

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