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dhammasamannesanā

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

1. investigation of the character; examination of the qualities (of)

Built from

• dhamma — root · phenomenon, quality
  From PIE *dhē- (place, put), the root behind Sanskrit dharma (what is placed, law, duty). Pali dhamma denotes any conditioned thing or its intrinsic nature.
• sam — prefix · together, completely
  Brings things into one unified whole; concrete sense of gathering persists in abstract compounds like samādhi (placing together, concentration).
• anu — prefix · along, following
  Trailing behind, following the track; suggests methodical progression through the object of investigation.
• īs — root · seek, examine
  Root of īsanā (searching, striving); conveys the active looking and inquiry that follows the path of investigation.
• anā — ending · feminine noun
  Nominative singular feminine; marks the abstract noun of action or process (investigation, examination).

Analysis. dhamma- (phenomenon, quality) + samannesanā (investigation); sammannesanā from sam (together) + anu (along, following) + īsanā (searching, from √īs 'seek'). The compound denotes methodical inquiry into the nature of phenomena, a key investigative practice in Theravāda meditation.

Etymology. dhamma from PIE *dhē- (to place, put, make), cf. Sanskrit dharma, Greek thesis. samannesanā from sam- (together, completely) + anu- (following, along the track) + √īs (to seek, examine); the prefix structure conveys moving through something methodically and together, bringing complete attention to bear.

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

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