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sammāpaṭipannā

sammāpaṭipanna

masc nom pl of sammāpaṭipanna (adj); fem nom sg of sammāpaṭipanna (adj); fem nom pl of sammāpaṭipanna (adj); nt nom pl of sammāpaṭipanna (adj); …

1. practising correctly; going the right way; lit. gone along correctly

Built from

• sam — prefix · together, rightly
  Intensifies and completes; here sammā acts as the adverbial form marking correct or proper conduct.
• mā — ending · adverbial suffix
  Forms an adverb from the adjective base, marking manner or quality.
• paṭi — prefix · back, along, undertaking
  Conveys the sense of going or proceeding along a path; here it marks the undertaking or practice of the path.
• pad — root · go, walk, practice
  √pad (Sanskrit pad-) means to walk or tread; here extended to practice or conduct.
• annu/anna — ending · past participle
  Forms the past participle, indicating the action has been undertaken or is being engaged in; the ā-vowel marks feminine agreement in some cases.

Analysis. sammā (correctly, rightly) + paṭipanna (gone, practiced). Sammā is the adverbial form of samma (right, proper); paṭipanna is the past participle of paṭipadyati (to go, proceed, practice). The compound describes one who practices or goes along the correct path—a key term in the Buddha's teaching of right conduct.

Etymology. sammā derives from samma (right), possibly related to Sanskrit samya- (even, regular); paṭipanna from paṭi (back, against, in return) + √pad (to go, walk), so literally "gone back along" or "proceeded along a counter-path"—i.e., the path of practice undertaken and traversed. The prefix paṭi- here conveys the sense of undertaking or engaging in a course of action.

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

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