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I. Allgemeines und Sprache. 4. Vedic Grammar.
2. Agent nouns in -as, mostly adjectives, correspond in several instances to action nouns accented on the root. These are ap-ds- 'active' {dp-as- 'work'), tar-ds- (VS^) 'quick' (tdr-as- 'quickness'), tyaj-ds- m. 'descendant' {tydj-as- 'abandonment'), duv-ds- 'stirring' {duv-as- 'worship'), mah-ds- 'great' {md/i-as- 'greatness'). The derivative tav-ds- occurs both as an adjective 'strong' and without change of accent' as a m. substantive 'strength'. A few others have no corresponding action noun: tos-ds- 'bestowing', dhvar-ds- 'deceiving', yaj-ds- 'offering', vedh-ds- 'worshipper', ves-ds- (AV.) 'neighbour'; and from a denomi- native stem mrgay-ds- (AV.) 'wild animal'^.
a. There are a few substantives accented on the suffix and seemingly never neuter, which are allied to the neuter action nouns in meaning, some being abstract, others concrete in sense. The change of accent may be due to change of gender^. Thus raks-ds- m. occurs beside rdks-as- n. both meaning 'demon'. There also occur jar-ds- m. 'old age', bhiy-ds- m. 'fear', tves-ds- 'impulse', hav-ds- 'invocation'; us-ds- f. 'dawn' may have been an agent noun originally; dos-ds- (AV.) f. (?) beside dos-d- 'night' may be due to parallelism with us-ds-. The stem upds- 'lap' (the gender of which is uncertain, as it occurs only in the locative singular) may have been formed under the influence of upd-stha-^ m. 'lap'.
a. A few Proper Names are formed with the suffix -as; thus nodh-as-; arcananas- is a compound of anas- 'wain', possibly also bhaldnds-. ap-saras-(> f. 'nymph' is perhaps a compound ('moving in the waters'), angiras-, a name of Agni, has the appearance of being formed with this suffix, but the -s is perhaps secondary?.
-asi : action and agent.
127. This suffix, which is an extension of -as with -/, forms a couple of action nouns with concrete sense, and a few agent nouns: dhasi- m. 'drink' {dhe- 'suck') and dhasi- f. 'abode'; at-as'i- m. 'beggar', dharn-asi- 'strong', san-asl- 'victorious'.
-a : action.
128. By far the greatest proportion of words in -a consists of secondary feminine adjectives corresponding to masculines and neuters in -a.
There is, however, also a considerable number of feminine action nouns of an independent character, formed by adding -a sometimes to the root, but usually to secondary conjugation stems (desiderative, causative, denominative). Thus is-d- (AV.) 'dominion', nind-d- (AV.) 'blame'; jigis-S- 'desire to win', bhiks-d- (AV.) 'begging', virts-d-^ 'desire to frustrate'; gamay-d-^ (AV'.) 'causing to go'; asvay-d- 'desire for horses', apasy-d- 'activity', urusy-a- 'readiness to help', jtvanasy-d- (TS. 11. 3. io^-3) 'desire of life', sukratuy-d- 'skill'.
a. This suffix has the appearance of being added to a reduplicated stem xajangh-a- 1" 'leg' and jihv-a- 'tongue'; it may also be contained in the very obscure word snsd-^'^ (AV'.).
have been inserted owing to the influence oi pi-van- adj. 'fat'.
1 Whitney 1152, 2 e, erroneously, tavas- 'strength'.
2 The suffix is probably contained in a-han-as- 'wanton', but the derivation is obscure, Cp. FrShde, BB. 21, 321 — 330.
3 The dative infinitives from stems in -as are sometimes accented on the root, but usually on the suffix (105 a). This may indicate a difference of gender, the former being neuter, the latter masculine.
4 As tves-ds- and hav-ds- occur in the I. sing, only, the gender is uncertain,
but owing to the accent it is probably masc.
5 According to Grassmann, however, updstha- probably = iipds-stha-; cp. 81, 2 a.
6 See Macdonell, Vedic Mythology 47, note 3; but cp. PlscHEL, VS. 3, 197.
7 Cp. Brugmann, Grundriss 2, p. 188.
8 From vi-Trtsa- desiderative of rdh- 'prosper'.
9 The causative stem used in the forma- tion of the periphrastic perfect.
10 Cp. Brugmann, Grundriss 2, p. 106, top.
I' See Whitney's note on AV. i, ii^.
