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Most likely this is meant to be from anu- (following) +iS (cognate with English "ask" and means to seek or wish) = search. Though the exact feminine form anveSA is not attested in Sanskrit, it was probably formed to mean quest or something similar. In some East Indian prononciations, the -nv- (where in Sanskrit the -v- was an unaspirated voiced labio-dental, closer in this conjunct to English w than to English v because of lack of aspiration) is pronounced -nn-. The -S- was originally the retroflex sibilant, but that has disappeared from ost North and East Indian pronunciations today and merged with the palatal sibilant -sh- (like in English sugar) in most contexts.