Verbs From Nouns

Also known as: denominative verbs, nāmadhātu ("with a noun for a root")

Introduction

In Starting Out, we learned that primary suffixes could turn verb roots into nouns. Now we will study a rule that turns nouns and adjectives into verb stems. It might seem odd that nouns and adjectives can become verbs, but there are many examples of this behavior in English: we can hand something to somebody, house a friend, or whiten a wall.

• नमस्यति

  He does namas. (i.e. "He worships.")

In this lesson alone, I will use the term nominal verb to refer to any verb formed from a noun. Nominal verbs are very straightforward, so we will not discuss them much after this lesson.

Forming the stem

To form the stem of a nominal verb, we usually add ya to the noun. We use the ordinary noun stem; but if a noun has two stems, we use the weaker stem, and if a noun has three stems, we use the middle stem.

Final i and u are lengthened. Final -a is usually lengthened, too, but it can sometimes become -ī. Most of these stems use P endings, but a few others use A endings.

• नमस् → नमस्यति

  worship → He worships.

• पुत्र → पुत्रीयति

  son → He wants a son.

• गोप → गोपायति

  protector → He protects.

• कथा → कथयति

  narration → He narrates, he tells.

• राजन् → राजायते

  king → He behaves like a king.

The -aya class

If a particular stem ends in aya — not āya, īya, or just ya — then it is treated like a verb from the -aya class and listed as such in dictionaries.

• मन् → मन्त्र → मन्त्रय → मन्त्र्

  man → mantra → mantraya → mantr

  think → mantra → deliberate, make counsel (stem) → deliberate, make counsel (root)

• कथा → कथय → कथ्

  kathā → kathaya → kath

  narration → narrate (stem) → narrate (root)