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vinipātaṁ

vinipāta

accusative singular masculine of vinipāta (noun)

1. descent (into lower rebirth)
2. fall
3. ruin

Built from

• vi — prefix · apart, asunder
  Intensifying prefix suggesting separation, clarity, or (here) falling away into a different, lower state.
• ni — prefix · down, into
  Prefixed to the root, directing motion downward and inward.
• pāta — root · fall
  From √pat 'to fall'; Sanskrit patati. The concrete image of falling becomes metaphorically a descent into misery or lower rebirth.
• ṁ — ending · accusative singular
  Marks the word as a direct object in the accusative case, singular number, masculine gender.

Analysis. vi-nipāta: vi (apart, asunder) + ni-pāta (ni, down, into; pāta from √pat, to fall). The compound suggests falling down and away into a lower state of existence.

Etymology. Composed of vi- (apart, asunder) and nipāta (falling down). The root √pat (to fall) appears in Sanskrit patati and English words related to 'path' (originally a beaten way). The spatial prefix vi- intensifies the sense of falling away into ruin or lower rebirth.

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

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