Where does “metadefinition” come from?

metadefinition (English) comes from English definition, from Middle English diffinicioun, from Middle French definition, from Latin dēfīnītiō, from Latin dēfīniō, from Latin dē-, from Latin dē, from Latin post — afterwards, post; by, at.

metadefinition (English): A definition of a definition

Definitions

  1. A definition of a definition

Ancestry of “metadefinition”, step by step

metadefinition traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English definition

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdefinitionA statement of the meaning of a word or word...
2Middle Englishdiffinicioun
3Middle Frenchdefinitiondefinition
4Latindēfīnītiōdefinition; precise description
5Latindēfīniōto bound, set bounds to; to limit
6Latindē-of; from
7Latinof; concerning; about
8Latinpostbehind; after, since, besides, except; behind,...
9Latinposteablative singular of postis
10Proto-Italicpostibehind, after
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpóstiafter
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpósafterwards, post; by, at

via English meta

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmetaSelf-referential; structured analogously, but at...
2Latinmētacone, pyramid
3Proto-West Germanicmōtijanto meet
4Proto-Germanicmōtijanąto meet, encounter
5Proto-Germanicmōtąmeeting
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmeh₂d-to be wet, to become wet; to meet, approach,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pós