Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “metaphase” come from?

Metaphase derives from English metaphysics and metamorphosis, combining Ancient Greek μετά (meta, "beyond") with Ancient Greek φάσις (phasis, "appearance"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "to shine" and "to stand."

metaphase (English): The stage of mitosis and meiosis, that follows...

Definitions

  1. The stage of mitosis and meiosis, that follows...

Ancestry of “metaphase”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishphaseA distinguishable part of a sequence or cycle...
2New Latinphasis—
3Ancient Greekφάσιςappearance; utterance, statement, expression
4Ancient GreekφαίνωI cause to appear, bring to light; I show,...
5English-typeimpressed form; stamp; print; typical form; Used...
6Ancient GreekτύποςA blow, pressing; The results of a blow: mark,...
7Ancient Greekτύπτωto beat, strike, smite; to beat, strike oneself
8Proto-Indo-European(s)tewp-to push, to stick
9Proto-Indo-European(s)tew-to push, to hit

Words derived from “metaphase”

  • prometaphase
  • metaphasic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew- →