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sammākammanto

sammākammanta

masc nom sg of sammākammanta (noun); masc nom sg of sammākammanta (adj)

1. correct behaviour; wholesome conduct
2. with wholesome conduct; acting ethically

Built from

• sam — prefix · together
  Spatial prefix meaning 'together, with, completely'; cognate with English 'same' and Latin 'similis', working like 'con-'. Here it collects action into harmony.
• mā — root · measure, fit
  Root cognate with Sanskrit mā and Greek/Latin metr- (Greek metron 'measure', Latin metior). The sense 'fit' gives 'proper, right' when prefixed with sam-.
• kamma — stem · action
  Pali form of Sanskrit karma, from √kr̥ 'to do, make'. Denotes action and its karmic fruit.
• nta — ending · going with
  Participial suffix from √i 'to go', functioning here as a nominal ending meaning 'one who goes with' or 'characterized by'. Cf. Classical Sanskrit -nt- present participle.

Analysis. sam + mā + kamma + nta: 'together-rightly-action-going', the compound denoting right action brought into one. sammā (adv. from sam + √mā 'measure, fit') means 'rightly, properly'; kammanta (kamma 'action' + -nta, ppr. of √i 'go') means 'going with action'. Together: conduct that goes rightly with action, i.e. ethical practice.

Etymology. sammā derives from saṁ + √mā 'to measure, fit': the prefix saṁ 'together' and the root cognate with Sanskrit mā and Greek *metr- (Latin metior 'I measure') combine to mean 'fit together, harmonize'. In Early Buddhist doctrine, sammākammanta is the eighth constituent of the Eightfold Path, the right action (equivalent to Skr. samyagkarmānta).

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

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