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bho

bhavant

masc nom sg of bhavant (noun); masc voc sg of bhavant (noun)

1. bhavant (masc): master; sir; respected man; lit. being present
2. bho (masc): (respectful address; especially between Brahmans) sir; sirs; master; masters; friend; friends; good man; good men

Built from

• bha — root · be, become
  The root meaning 'to exist, come into being'. Shared Indo-European root *bheuh₂-; cognate with English 'be', Latin 'fuisse', Greek 'phyein'.
• va — stem · present participle stem
  The present participle stem formation, marking the agent or participle of the verb.
• -nt — ending · one who (agent noun)
  Participial ending marking 'one who is', forming bhavant (being present, one present).
• -o — ending · vocative singular
  Masculine vocative singular ending, used for direct address in respectful or familiar contexts.

Etymology. From bhavant, the present participle of bhavati (to be, become), literally 'being present' or 'one who is'. The vocative form bho, used as a respectful interjection, retains the sense of addressing someone as 'one present' or 'existing'. Cognate with Sanskrit bhavant-, English "be", Latin fuisse, Greek phyein (to grow, come into being), all from the Indo-European root *bheuh₂- (to become, grow).

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

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