meta-
meta-
1.
a prefix appearing in loanwords from Greek, with the meanings “after,” “along with,” “beyond,” “among,” “behind,” and productive in English on the Greek model: metacarpus; metagenesis; metalinguistics.
Also, especially before a vowel, met-.
Origin:
< Greek, prefix and preposition; cognate with Old English mid with, German mit, Gothic mith
< Greek, prefix and preposition; cognate with Old English mid with, German mit, Gothic mith
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To meta-
Collins
World English Dictionary
| meta- or (sometimes before a vowel) met- | |
| —prefix | |
| 1. | indicating change, alteration, or alternation: metabolism; metamorphosis |
| 2. | See also metatheory (of an academic discipline, esp philosophy) concerned with the concepts and results of the named discipline: metamathematics; meta-ethics |
| 3. | occurring or situated behind or after: metaphase |
| 4. | (often in italics) ortho- Compare para- m- denoting that an organic compound contains a benzene ring with substituents in the 1,3-positions: metadinitrobenzene; meta |
| 5. | denoting an isomer, polymer, or compound related to a specified compound (often differing from similar compounds that are prefixed by para-): metaldehyde |
| 6. | Compare ortho- denoting an oxyacid that is a lower hydrated form of the anhydride or a salt of such an acid: metaphosphoric acid |
| [Greek, from meta with, after, between, among. Compare Old English mid, mith with, Old Norse meth with, between] | |
| met- or (sometimes before a vowel) met- | |
| —prefix | |
| [Greek, from meta with, after, between, among. Compare Old English mid, mith with, Old Norse meth with, between] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Meta-
is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
meta-
prefix meaning 1. "after, behind," 2. "changed, altered," 3. "higher, beyond," from Gk. meta (prep.) "in the midst of, in common with, by means of, in pursuit or quest of," from PIE *me- "in the middle" (cf. Goth. miþ, O.E. mið "with, together with, among;" see
mid). Notion of "changing places with" probably led to senses "change of place, order, or nature," which was a principal meaning of the Gk. word when used as a prefix (but also denoting "community, participation; in common with; pursuing"). Third sense, "higher than, transcending, overarching, dealing with the most fundamental matters of," is due to misinterpretation of metaphysics as "science of that which transcends the physical." This has led to a prodigious erroneous extension in modern usage, with meta- affixed to the names of other sciences and disciplines, especially in the academic jargon of literary criticism, which affixes it to just about anything that moves and much that doesn't.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
meta- or met-
pref.
Later in time: metestrus.
At a later stage of development: metanephros.
Situated behind: metacarpus.
Change; transformation: metachromatism.
Alternation: metagenesis.
Beyond; transcending; more comprehensive: metapsychology.
At a higher state of development: metazoan.
Having undergone metamorphosis: metamyelocyte.
Derivative or related chemical substance: metaprotein.
Abbr. m- Of or relating to one of three possible isomers of a benzene ring with two attached chemical groups, in which the carbon atoms with attached groups are separated by one unsubstituted carbon atom. Usually used in italic: meta-dibromobenzene.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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