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arūpasaññānaṁ

arūpasaññā

genitive plural of arūpasaññā (feminine noun)

1. perception of the formless
2. formless realm perception

Built from

• a — prefix · not, without
  Plain negation. Cognate with English un-, Greek a(n)-.
• rūpa — root · form, material shape
  The visible, tangible body or appearance; cognate with Sanskrit rūpa.
• saññā — stem · perception, recognition
  Mental grasping or marking of an object; feminine noun in -ā. In compound, it combines with rūpa to form the adjective arūpasaññā 'having formless perception'.

Analysis. arūpa (formless, without material form) + saññā (perception, recognition); compound denoting perception characteristic of the four formless sphere attainments (āruppajhānas) in Buddhist meditational doctrine.

Etymology. a- (not, without) + rūpa (form, material shape; Sanskrit rūpa, probably from root *reup- 'to break off', hence 'visible shape'). Saññā from root *sañj- 'to grasp, perceive' (Sanskrit saṁjñā). The compound is a doctrinal term for the subtle mental perception in realms beyond physical form.

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

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