इव n. ind. (
fr. pronominal base 3.
इ), like, in the same manner as (in this sense =
यथा, and used correlatively to
तथा)
पथेव as it were, as if (
e.g. , as if on a path)
in a certain manner, in some measure, a little, perhaps (in qualification or mitigation of a strong assertion)
मुहूर्तम् इव nearly, almost, about (
e.g. , almost an hour)
ईषद् इव so, just so, just, exactly, indeed, very (especially after words which involve some restriction
e.g. , just a little;
किंचिद् इव, just a little bit: and after a negation
e.g. न चिराद् इव, very soon).
इव is connected vaguely, and somewhat pleonastically, with an interrogative pronoun or adverb (
e.g. किम् इव, what?
कथम् इव, how could that possibly be?
क्वे-व, where, I should like to know?). In the
पद texts of the
ऋग्,
यजुर्, and
अथर्व-
वेद, and by native grammarians,
इव is considered to be enclitic, and therefore compounded with the word after which it stands,
[RV.] ;
[AV.] ; &c.