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khosmi

sandhi contraction: kho + asmi

1. I am certainly; I am truly

Built from

• kho — prefix · emphatic particle
  Strengthens and affirms the statement; originally a marker of certainty or prominence in the discourse.
• asmi — root · I am
  From *es-, the Indo-European copula. Present tense, 1st singular: 'I am'. Cognate with Sanskrit asmi, Greek eimi, Latin sum.

Analysis. kho (emphatic particle, affirmation) + asmi (1st person singular present of atthi, 'to be'); the contraction is standard Pali sandhi when a particle precedes a vowel-initial verb.

Etymology. asmi derives from the Indo-European root *es- 'to be', cognate with Sanskrit asmi, Greek eimi, Latin sum, English is. The emphatic kho is a strengthening particle native to Pali, without clear cognate.

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

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