meta-

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word meta-. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word meta-, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say meta- in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word meta- you have here. The definition of the word meta- will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofmeta-, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: Appendix:Variations of "meta"

English

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Ancient Greek μετα- (meta-), from μετά (metá), from Mycenaean Greek 𐀕𐀲 (me-ta), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *meth₂ (“in the middle”).

Pronunciation

Only relating to metabolism:

Prefix

meta-

  2. (anatomy and zoology) Behind.
  4. (botany and zoology) Later or subsequent.
  6. (obsolete, architecture and zoology) Situated between two segments.
  8. (chemistry) Having fewer molecules of water than the ortho- equivalent.
  10. (organic chemistry) in isomeric benzene derivatives, having the two substituents in alternate (1,3) positions; contrasted with ortho- and para-.
  12. (biochemistry) Relating to metabolism.
Translations
chemistry: having fewer molecules of water than the ortho- equivalent
chemistry: contrasted with ortho- and para-
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
See also

Etymology 2

Back-formation from metaphysics.

Prefix

meta-

  2. Transcending, encompassing.
  4. Pertaining to a level above or beyond; reflexive or recursive; about itself or about other things of the same type. For example, metadata is data that describes data, metalanguage is language that describes language, etc.
  6. Having analogies with metaphysics.
Translations

Etymology 3

Back-formation from metamorphism.

Prefix

meta-

  2. (geology) Modified by metamorphosis; analogies and derivatives of metamorphism.
Translations

Etymology 4

Back-formation from metastasis.

Prefix

meta-

  2. (pathology) Consequent on.
Translations

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with meta-

Further reading

Anagrams

Czech

Etymology

Derived from Ancient Greek μετα- (meta-).

Prefix

meta-

  1. meta- (pertaining to a level above or beyond)
    ‎meta- + ‎jazyk → ‎metajazyk

Derived terms

Czech terms prefixed with meta-

Further reading

  • “meta-”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
  • meta- in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017

Finnish

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μετα- (meta-).

Pronunciation

Prefix

meta-

  1. meta-

Derived terms

Finnish terms prefixed with meta-

German

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek μετα- (meta-).

Pronunciation

Prefix

meta-

  1. meta-

Derived terms

German terms prefixed with meta-

Further reading

  • “meta-” in Duden online
  • “meta-” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Hungarian

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μετα- (meta-).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key):
  • Hyphenation: me‧ta

Prefix

meta-

  1. meta-

Derived terms

Hungarian nouns prefixed with meta-

References

  1. ^ Tótfalusi, István. Idegenszó-tár: Idegen szavak értelmező és etimológiai szótára (’A Storehouse of Foreign Words: an explanatory and etymological dictionary of foreign words’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2005. →ISBN

Indonesian

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μετα- (meta-).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key):
  • Hyphenation: mè‧ta

Prefix

meta-

  1. meta-

Alternative forms

Derived terms

Category Indonesian terms prefixed with meta- not found

Further reading

Italian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌmɛ.ta/
  • Hyphenation: mè‧ta-

Prefix

meta-

  1. meta-

Derived terms

Italian terms prefixed with meta-

Anagrams

Polish

Etymology

Derived from Ancient Greek μετα- (meta-).

Pronunciation

Prefix

meta-

  1. meta-
    ‎meta- + ‎fizyka → ‎metafizyka

Derived terms

Polish terms prefixed with meta-

Further reading

  • meta- in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek μετα- (meta-).

Prefix

meta-

  1. meta-

Derived terms

Portuguese terms prefixed with meta-

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek μετά (metá).

Prefix

meta-

  1. meta-

Derived terms

Spanish terms prefixed with meta-

Further reading

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia