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aniccatā

fem nom sg of aniccatā (noun); fem nom pl of aniccatā (noun); fem acc pl of aniccatā (noun); fem instr sg of aniccatā (noun); …

1. fact of impermanence; state of instability; unreliability (of); lit. not permanent state
2. (abhi) momentariness; lit. not permanent state

Built from

• a — prefix · not, without
  Plain negation. Cognate with English un-, Greek a(n)- (atheist). In aniccatā it strips away permanence.
• nicca — root · permanent, stable
  From √nic 'to bind, hold'; related to Sanskrit nityá 'eternal'. The root imagery is of holding fast; negated, it yields instability.
• tā — ending · feminine abstract state
  Nominalizing suffix (-tā) that converts the adjective aniccā into an abstract noun, designating the state or quality of impermanence. Common in doctrinal nouns: anicca-tā, anattā-tā, dukkha-tā.

Analysis. a-nicca-tā: negation (a-) + impermanent (nicca-) + abstract noun suffix (-tā), literally 'the state of not being permanent'; one of the three marks (tilakkhana) in Buddhist doctrine.

Etymology. From a- (not, without; cognate with English un-, Greek a(n)-) + nicca (permanent, stable; from √nic 'to bind, hold fast', related to Sanskrit nityá 'eternal'), + -tā (feminine abstract suffix, cognate with Latin -tās in dignitas, Latin -ity); the negation and root together yield the core Buddhist concept of impermanence as absence of permanence.

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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