Where does “metapackage” come from?
metapackage (English) comes from English package, from English pack, from Middle English pakken, from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz — adjectival suffix.
metapackage (English): A software package that contains no software...
Definitions
- A software package that contains no software...
Ancestry of “metapackage”, step by step
metapackage traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English package
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | package | Something which is packed, a parcel, a box, an... |
| 2 | English | pack | A bundle made up and prepared to be carried;... |
| 3 | Middle English | pakken | To pack; to put into a pack or container; To... |
| 4 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 5 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 6 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 7 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |