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sammappaññā

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

1. correct understanding; perfect wisdom

Built from

• sam- — prefix · together, completely
  The prefix sam- (or saṁ-) carries the spatial sense of bringing things into one place, making them unified. This concrete imagery extends to abstract meanings of rightness, completeness, and harmony.
• a — stem · placing (√ā-dhā)
  The root √dhā (place, put) with the prefix ā- (toward, up to) reverses the direction of placement. Here, sam-a- gives the past participle 'put together', the nominative form of the adjective samma-.
• paññā — root · wisdom, understanding
  Derived from √pañ (to understand, know), with the feminine agent suffix -ā. The root carries the sense of knowing that fans out or spreads widely, related to cognates such as Latin pandere (unfold).

Analysis. samm(a)- + paññā. samm(a)- is the nominative/accusative form of samma (right, correct), which is the past participle of sameti (puts together, reconciles). paññā is wisdom, understanding. The compound thus means understanding that is put-together or unified, hence correct and complete.

Etymology. samm(a)- derives from sam- (together, completely) + √ā-dhā (to place), giving the sense of things brought into one unified whole; this concrete imagery of gathering-together underlies the abstract meaning of rightness and completeness. paññā descends from √pañ (to know, understand) — cognate with English pan- (the pan of comprehension) and Latin pandere (unfold, spread out), originally the sense of seeing widely. The compound as a whole expresses the Buddhist ideal of wisdom that is unified and complete, not scattered or partial.

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

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