𑀅𑀙𑀢𑀺

Ashokan Prakrit

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd

Sanskrit आ (ā)

Sanskrit आ- (ā-)

Proto-Indo-European *teḱ-

Proto-Indo-European *tḱey-

Proto-Indo-European *tḱéyti

Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćšáyti

Sanskrit क्षेति॑ (kṣéti)

Sanskrit आक्षे॑ति (ā́kṣeti)

Ashokan Prakrit 𑀅𑀙𑀢𑀺 (achati)

Inherited from Sanskrit आक्षे॑ति (ā́kṣeti), from आ- (ā-) + क्षेति॑ (kṣéti). Cognate with Pali acchati.

Alternative etymologies

Turner lists and rejects several other etymologies that have been suggested over the years:

• Sanskrit आस्था (āsthā, “to stand, remain”, root), from आ- (ā-) +‎ स्था (sthā, “to stand”).
• Sanskrit गच्छति (gacchati, “to go”) with loss of the initial g-.
• Sanskrit ऋच्छति (ṛcchati, “to go, move”).
• Sanskrit आस् (ās, “to sit”, root) extended with Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti or an unattested future verb.
• Sanskrit अस् (as, “to be, exist”, root) extended with Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti or an unattested future verb.

Verb

𑀅𑀙𑀢𑀺 (achati /acchati/)

1. to exist, dwell in

Alternative forms

Attested at Girnar.

Dialectal forms of 𑀅𑀙𑀢𑀺 (“to exist, dwell in”)
Variety	Location	Lemmas	Forms edit
Northwest	Shahbazgarhi	𐨀𐨐𐨿𐨮𐨟𐨁 (akṣati)
West	Girnar	𑀅𑀙𑀢𑀺 (achati)	𑀅𑀙𑀢𑀺 /acchati/ (achati)

Map of dialectal forms of 𑀅𑀙𑀢𑀺 (“to exist, dwell in”)
𐨀𐨐𐨿𐨮𐨟𐨁 (akṣati) (1) 𑀅𑀙𑀢𑀺 (achati) (1)

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Kashmiri: چھُ (chu, “(I) am”, 1sg.pres)
• Prakrit: 𑀅𑀘𑁆𑀙𑀇 (acchaï), 𑀅𑀘𑁆𑀙𑀤𑀺 (acchadi) — Śaurasenī, 𑀅𑀓𑁆𑀔𑀇 (akkhaï) — Paiśācī, 𑀳𑁄𑀓𑁆𑀔𑀇 (hŏkkhaï) — Māgadhī (see there for further descendants)

Further reading

• Sen, Sukumar (1960) A Comparative Grammar of Middle Indo-Aryan, Linguistic Society of India, page 47.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “ā́kṣēti”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 46