Etymograph

English

meta

Etymology 1, adjective sense 1 is a back-formation from meta- (prefix).

The story

Etymology 1, adjective sense 1 is a back-formation from meta- (prefix). Etymology 1, adjective sense 2 is derived from noun etymology 1, noun sense 1. The noun senses are clippings of various terms beginning with meta (prefix). Folk etymology for noun etymology 1, noun sense 1 also suggests an acronym for most effective/efficient tactic available.folk etymology The source marks this as unproven or a folk etymology. Quoted, not asserted.

Another origin of meta

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*meh₁-‘to measure’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*mētāreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmēta‘cone, pyramid’
  4. Englishtodaymeta

Today it means

noun An informal but widely adopted practice in a given field; a de facto standard.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / meta