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sammadaññā

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

1. perfectly understanding; completely comprehending
2. supreme gnosis; perfect knowledge; complete understanding; full awakening

Built from

• sam — prefix · together, with
  Things brought into one; works like Latin con-. Here it marks the integration of all knowing faculties.
• ā — prefix · toward, up to
  Reverses and completes the motion; sammā adverbially means 'rightly, completely, all the way'. Together with sam, it signals full convergence.
• dañña — stem · knowing, cognition
  From √jñā (to know), cognate with Latin gnōscere, English know, Greek gignōskein. The knowing faculty that, when gathered perfectly, becomes gnosis.
• ā — ending · feminine
  Feminine nominative singular ending, marking dañña (abstract knowledge) as feminine in Pali grammar.

Analysis. sam + ma + dañña; sammā (well, rightly, completely; from sam + ā, 'placing together toward') + dañña (knowing, cognition; from √jñā). A compound nominal expressing the full, collected, and right understanding that is fundamental to the Buddha's awakening and the end of suffering.

Etymology. sam (together) + ā (toward, up to) + √jñā (to know, cognate with Latin gnōscere, English know, Greek gignōskein). The prefix sam-ā- marks completeness and convergence of knowing faculties; sammā as an adverb means 'rightly, perfectly', and sammadañña as a noun crystallizes this into the gnosis that gathers all knowledge into one liberating vision.

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

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