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va

masc voc sg of va (letter); imp 3rd sg of vāti (verb)

1. va (ind): like; as
2. va (ind): even; this very
3. va (ind): as soon as
4. va (ind): or
5. va (letter): (gram) letter v; 37th letter of the alphabet; dento-labial semi-vowel
6. vāti (pr): blows (among); wafts (to); diffuses (among)

Etymology. va as a disjunctive particle is cognate with Latin -ve (used postpositively in aut...ve 'either...or') and appears in the older Indo-European system of alternatives; the sense 'like, as' draws from an old demonstrative root. The verb vāti 'blows, wafts' is a present stem from the root √vā, cognate with Latin venire via an older meaning 'to blow, move' and Sanskrit vāti.

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

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