micchādiṭṭhi

fem nom sg of micchādiṭṭhi (noun); fem voc sg of micchādiṭṭhi (noun); masc nom sg of micchādiṭṭhi (adj); fem nom sg of micchādiṭṭhi (adj); …

wrong view; incorrect belief
having wrong view; with incorrect belief

Built from

micchā — stem · wrongness, wrongly
From √micch (to go wrong). Marks deviation or error, the opposite of sammā (together, rightly).
diṭṭhi — stem · view, sight, opinion
From √dip/dṛś (to see), cognate with Sanskrit dṛṣṭi and English direct. Denotes perception or belief.

Analysis. micchā (wrongly, wrongness) + diṭṭhi (view, opinion). A compound of the adverb/noun micchā and the noun diṭṭhi; together denoting mistaken perception or false belief, a key doctrinal term for views at odds with the Dhamma.

Etymology. micchā is from the root micchati (to go wrong, to err), related to Sanskrit mithyā (false, wrong); diṭṭhi is from the root √dip/dṛś (to see), cognate with Sanskrit dṛṣṭi (view, sight) and English direct. The prefix sense is integral: micchā negates diṭṭhi, marking it as inverted or perverted sight. In the Suttas, micchādiṭṭhi is opposed to sammādiṭṭhi (right view), the first step of the Noble Eightfold Path.

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

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