masc nom sg of piya (adj); masc nom sg of piya (noun)
Etymology. From the Indo-European root *pi- 'to swell, be fat, abundant', seen in Sanskrit priya 'dear, beloved', Latin pinguis 'fat', and English fat. The basic sense is 'swollen with affection' or 'that which moves one emotionally'; the word gravitates between the emotional pole (dear, beloved) and the sensory pole (pleasant, agreeable). In doctrinal usage, piyo marks the affective bonds of saṃsāra that bind beings to existence: what is piya becomes anupassanā in the contemplation of impermanence (anicca-paccavekkhaṇa).
Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.
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