Ava˚ (prefix) I. Relation between ava & o. Phonetically the difference between ava & o is this, that ava is the older form, whereas o represents a later development. Historically the case is often reversed -- that is, the form in o was in use first & the form in ava was built up, sometimes quite independently, long afterwards. Okaḍḍhati, okappati, okappanā, okassati, okāra, okantati, okkamati, ogacchati, odāta and others may be used as examples. The difference in many cases has given rise to a differentiation of meaning, like E. ripe: rife, quash: squash; Ger. Knabe: Knappe etc. (see below B 2). -- A. The old Pāli form of the prefix is o. In same cases however a Vedic form in ava has been preserved by virtue of its archaic character. In words forming the 2nd part of a cpd. we have ava, while the absolute form of the same word has o. See e.g. avakāsa ( -- ˚) > okāsa (˚ -- ); avacara > ocaraka; avatata; avadāta; avabhāsa; avasāna. -- B. 1. the proportion in the words before us (early and later) is that o alone is found in 65% of all cases, ava alone in 24%, and ava as well as o in 11%. The proportion of forms in ava increases as the books or passages become later. Restricted to the older literature (the 4 Nikāyas) are the foll. forms with o: okiri, okkanti, okkamati, okkhipati, ogacchati, ossajati. -- (1) The Pāli form (o˚) shows a differentiation in meaning against the later Sanskrit forms (ava˚). See the foll.:
avakappanā harnessing: okappanā confidence;
avakkanti (not Sk.): okkanti appearance;
avakkhitta thrown down: okkhitta subdued;
avacara sphere of motion: ocaraka spy;
avatiṇṇa descended: otiṇṇa affected with love;
avaharati to move down, put off: oharati to steal.
(2) In certain secondary verb -- formations, arisen on Pāli grounds, the form o˚ is used almost exclusively pointing thus to a clearly marked dialectical development of Pali. Among these formations are Deminutives in ˚ka usually; the Gerund & the Infinitive usually; the Causatives throughout.
II. Ava as prefix. [P. ava = Vedic ava & occasionally o; Av. ava; Lat. au -- (aufero = avabharati, aufugio etc.); Obg. u -- ; Oir. ō, ua. See further relations in Walde, Lat. Wtb. under au]. -- Meaning. (Rest:) lower, low (opp. ut˚, see e. g. uccâvaca high & low, and below iii. c), expld. as heṭṭhā (DhA iv.54 under avaŋ) or adho (ibid. 153; SnA 290). -- (Motion:) down, downward, away (down), off; e. g. avasūra sun -- down; adv. avaŋ (q. v., opp. uddhaŋ). -- (a) lit. away from, off: ava -- kantati to cut off; ˚gaṇa away from the crowd; ˚chindati cut off; ˚yīyati fall off; ˚bhāsati shine out, effulge; ˚muñcati take off; ˚siṭṭha left over. -- down, out, over: ˚kirati pour down or out over; ˚khitta thrown down; ˚gacchati go down; ˚gāheti dip down; ˚tarati descend; ˚patita fallen down; ˚sajjati emit; ˚siñcati pour out over; ˚sīdati sink down. -- (b) fig. down in connection with verbs of emotion (cp. Lat. de -- in despico to despise, lit. look down on), see ava -- jānāti, ˚bhūta, ˚mānita, ˚vajja, ˚hasati. away from, i. e. the opposite of, as equivalent to a negation and often taking the place of the neg. prefix a˚ (an˚), e. g. in avajaya (= ajaya), ˚jāta, ˚mangala (= a˚), ˚pakkhin, ˚patta.
Affinities of ava. -- (a) apa. There exists an exceedingly frequent interchange of forms with apa˚ and ava˚, the historical relation of which has not yet been thoroughly investigated. For a comparison of the two the BSk. forms are indispensable, and often afford a clue as to the nature of the word in question. See on this apa 2 and cp. the foll. words under ava: avakata, ˚karoti, ˚khalita, ˚anga, ottappa, avattha, ˚nīta, ˚dāna, ˚pivati, ˚rundhati, ˚lekhati, ˚vadati, ˚varaka, ˚sakkati, avassaya, avasseti, ˚hita, avāpurīyati, avekkhati. -- (b) abhi. The similarity between abhi & ava is seen from a comparison of meaning abhi ii. b and ava ii. a. The two prefixes are practically synonymous in the foll. words: ˚kankhati, ˚kamati, ˚kiṇṇa, ˚khipati, ˚maddati, ˚rata, ˚lambati, ˚lekheti, ˚lepana, ˚siñcati. -- (c) The contrary of ava is ut (cp. above ii.2). Among the freq. contrast -- pairs showing the two, like E. up & down, are the foll. ukkaŋsâvakaŋsa, uggaman -- oggamana, uccâvaca, ullangheti -- olangheti, ullittâvalitta; ogilituŋuggilituŋ, onaman -- unnamana. Two other combns. founded on the same principle (of intensifying contrast) are chiddâvacchidda and ava˚ in contrast with vi˚ in olambavilamba, olugga -- vilugga.
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