tā́vat mf(atI)n. (fr. 2. ta, [Pāṇ. v, 2, 39]; [vi, 3, 91]) so great, so large, so much, so far, so long, so many (correlative of yā́vat; rarely of ya or yathokta, [Nal.] &c.), [RV.] &c. (yāvatā kṣaṇena tāvatā, ‘after so long time, in that time’, as soon as, [Rājat. v, 110])
just a little, [Kir. ii, 48]
(in alg.) an unknown quantity (also with yāvat)
tā́vat ind. (correlative of yā́vat) so much, so greatly, to such an extent, in such a number, so far, [RV.]; [AV.] &c. (tā́vat-tāvat, [ŚBr. i, 8, 1, 6])
so long, in that time, [RV. x, 88, 19]; [ŚBr. i]; [Mn.] &c.
meanwhile, in the mean time (the correlative yāvat being often connected with a neg., e.g. tāvac chobhate mūrkho yāvat kiṃ-cin na bhāṣate, ‘so long a fool shines as long as he says nothing’, [Hit.]; śocayiṣyāmy ātmānaṃ tāvad yāvan me prāptam brāhmaṇyam, ‘so long I will emaciate myself, as long as [i.e. until] I have obtained the state of a Brāhman’, [R. i, 64, 19]), [ŚBr. xiv, 4, 2, 30]; [ChUp. vi, 14, 2]; [Mn.]; [MBh.] &c. (also correlative of purā [[R. i, 28, 21]], of yāvatā na, of yāvat preceded by purā [[MBh. xiii, 4556]], or without any correlative [[2727]; [Kathās.]; [Hit.]])
at once, now, just, first (followed by anantaram [[Hit.]], aparam [[Pañcat.]], api [ib.], idānīm [[Hit.]], uta [[Śak.]], ca [[Daś.]; [Prab.]], tatas [[Mn. iv, 174]; [Ragh. vii, 4 f.]], tad-anu [[Megh.]], tu [[Daś. vii]; [Vedāntas.]], paścāt [[R. ii]], punar [[Pañcat.]], vā; very often connected with an Impv., rarely [[MBh. iv, 888]; [R. ii, 56, 13]] with a Pot., often with the 1st person of pr. or fut. [MBh.] &c.; the Impv. is sometimes to be supplied [itas tāvat, ‘just come hither’; mā tāvat, ‘by no means, God forbid!’] [Śak.]; [Mālav.]; [Vikr.]; [Prab.]; sometimes arhasi with the inf. is used instead, [R. i f.])
(with na or a-) not yet, [MBh.] &c. (followed by yāvat, ‘while’, [Kathās. xxvi, 23]; tāvan na-api na, ‘not only not-but also not’, [Kād.])
very well, all right, [Hcar.]
indeed, truly (e.g. dṛḍhas tāvad bandhaḥ, ‘the knot is tight I must admit’, [Hit.]; gatā tāvat, ‘she is indeed gone’, [Kathās. xviii, 241]), [R.] &c.
already (opposed to ‘how much more’ or ‘how much less’), [R. iv f.]; [Śak.]
really (= eva, sometimes connected with this particle, e.g. vikrayas tāvad eva saḥ, ‘it is really a sale’), [Mn. iii, 53]; [Hariv. 7110]; [R.] &c.
[cf. Lat. tantus.]