Where does “metathesaurus” come from?
metathesaurus (English) comes from English meta, from Latin mēta, from Proto-West Germanic mōtijan, from Proto-Germanic mōtijaną, from Proto-Germanic mōtą, from Proto-Indo-European meh₂d- — to be wet, to become wet; to meet, approach,...
metathesaurus (English): A multilanguage thesaurus, typically concerning a single specialist subject
Definitions
- A multilanguage thesaurus, typically concerning a single specialist subject
Ancestry of “metathesaurus”, step by step
metathesaurus traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English meta
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | meta | Self-referential; structured analogously, but at... |
| 2 | Latin | mēta | cone, pyramid |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | mōtijan | to meet |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | mōtijaną | to meet, encounter |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | mōtą | meeting |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | meh₂d- | to be wet, to become wet; to meet, approach,... |
via English thesaurus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | thesaurus | A publication, usually in the form of a book,... |
| 2 | Latin | thēsaurus | treasure, hoard |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | θησαυρός | treasure; vault, repository, chest |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τίθημι | I put, place, set; I make, cause to be; I make |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁- | to do, put, place |