vipariṇāmadhammatā

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

fact of susceptibility to change; liability to change

Built from

vi — prefix · apart, asunder
Marks separation and thorough dispersion; here emphasizes the radical nature of change.
pari — prefix · around, all the way round
Signals completeness and totality; combined with vi-, stresses change in every aspect.
ṇāma — stem · turning, transformation
Derived from √nī 'lead, carry'; pariṇāma is causative: 'turning around', hence 'change, alteration'.
dhamma — root · nature, law, thing
From √dhā 'place, hold'; means characteristic or phenomenon; in compounds expresses the essence or quality of something.
tā — ending · abstract feminine
Nominalization suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives and nouns; here creates a feminine abstract noun meaning 'the fact or quality of being'.

Analysis. vipariṇāma (change, transformation) + dhammata (nature, condition, fact of being). The compound expresses the universal characteristic that all conditioned phenomena are subject to alteration; a key doctrine in explaining impermanence (anicca) in the Abhidhamma and suttas.

Etymology. vi-pariṇāma-dhammata: vi- (apart, asunder) + pari- (around, all the way round) + √nī (lead) in the causative nāya-, giving pariṇāma 'transformation turning all around'; dhamma (nature, characteristic; from √dhā 'place, hold') + -tā (abstract feminine suffix, cognate with Latin -tās as in veritas 'truth'). The prefix pair vi-pari- intensifies the sense of complete alteration in all directions.

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

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