Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “metanarrative” come from?

Metanarrative derives from English narrative and English metaphysics, blended with English metamorphosis, tracing through Ancient Greek μεθίστημι and ἵστημι meaning to place or stand, combined with Ancient Greek μορφή meaning form, from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃- and steh₂-.

metanarrative (English): A narrative which concerns narratives of...

Definitions

  1. A narrative which concerns narratives of...

Ancestry of “metanarrative”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnarrativeTelling a story; Overly talkative; garrulous; Of...
2Middle Frenchnarratif—
3Latinnārrātīvus—
4LatinnarroI narrate, recount; I report; I tell, speak
5Latinnārō—
6Proto-ItalicgnārāōI make known, I tell; to make known, tell
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵn̥h₃ro-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanǵneh₃-to know
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃- →