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[Facts] Re: What does Indian name Paveena mean? (nt)
in reply to a message by Kezza
There is a Sanskrit root pU, an Indoeuropean root, meaning to purify, wash or clean. This gives rise to a lot of similar words like pavan (purifier, wind), pavitA (purifier), pavita (pure), etc., but I do not recognize the form pavIna/pavInA in Sanskrit; though it may be grammatically well formed from pava (purity), in which case, I would gloss it as the adjective pure, not the noun purity. It was probably formed in modern times in analogy with pravINa (pra- towards + vINA musical instrument of uncertain etymology=skilled, experienced) and navIna (from nava new from nU now = new).
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