The affixes nañ and snañ come after the words strī and puṃsa respectively, in the senses specified in the sūtra reckoning from this one as far as sūtra dhānyānāṃ bhavane kṣetre khañ [[5.2.1]].,
Thus स्त्री + नञ् = स्त्रैणम् 'feminine.' The sense of the affixes taught in the Fourth Book, and Chapter I of the Fifth Book, are various. Therefore the word स्त्रैणम् will have all those various significations; thus, it will mean either स्त्रीषुभवं 4.3.53 'existing in females,' or स्त्रीणां संमूहः 4.2.37 'a collection of females,; or स्त्रीभ्यआगतं 4.3.74 'what has come from females'; or स्त्रीभ्यो हितं 5.1.5 'suitable for females' &c.
Similarly पुंस + स्नञ् = पौंस्नम् 'masculine, or existing in males, or a collection of males, or what has come from males, or suitable for males &c.'
These affixes, however, are not to be employed in the sense of the affix वत् taught in 5.1.115. For Panini himself uses the form पुंवत् (and not पौंस) in sutra 6.3.34, thus indicating by implication (ज्ञापक) that in the sense of वत्, the affix स्नञ् is not to be used. Thus स्त्रीवत्, ॥ The forms स्त्रीत्वं, स्त्रीता, पुंस्त्वं and पुंस्त्वा are exceptional. See 5.1.121. The स् of पुंस् is elided before स्नञ् by (VIII. 2. 23.) had it not been elided, one affix नञ् would have been taught in the sutra, and not two.,