iva ind. (fr. pronominal base 3. i), like, in the same manner as (in this sense = yathā, and used correlatively to tathā)
• as it were, as if (e.g. pathêva, as if on a path)
• in a certain manner, in some measure, a little, perhaps (in qualification or mitigation of a strong assertion)
• nearly, almost, about (e.g. muhūrtam iva, almost an hour)
• so, just so, just, exactly, indeed, very (especially after words which involve some restriction, e.g. īṣad iva, just a little
• kiṃcid iva, just a little bit: and after a negation, e.g. na cirād iva, very soon). iva is connected vaguely, and somewhat pleonastically, with an interrogative pronoun or adverb (e.g. kim iva, what? katham iva, how could that possibly be? kvêva, where, I should like to know?). In the Pada texts of the Ṛig, Yajur, and Atharva-veda, and by native grammarians, iva is considered to be enclitic, and therefore compounded with the word after which it stands RV. AV. &c. &c