Where does “metawriting” come from?

metawriting (English) comes from English writing, from Middle English writing, from Old English wrīting, from Old English wrītan, from Proto-West Germanic wrītan, from Proto-Germanic wrītaną, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

metawriting (English): writing about writing

Definitions

  1. writing about writing

Ancestry of “metawriting”, step by step

metawriting traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English writing

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwritingGraphism of symbols such as letters that express...
2Middle Englishwriting
3Old Englishwrītingwriting
4Old Englishwrītanto incise, engrave; to scratch, carve, write; to...
5Proto-West Germanicwrītanto scratch, to carve
6Proto-Germanicwrītanąto scratch, carve; to engrave, inscribe, write
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
8Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

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 wer-Every word from Proto-Indo-European wēr-Every word from Proto-Germanic wrītaną