Where does “メタ言語” come from?
メタ言語 (Japanese) comes from Japanese メタ, from English metal, from French métal, from German metall, from Italian metallo, from Spanish metal, from Old Spanish metal, from Old French métal — to mine, quarry.
メタ言語 (Japanese): metalanguage
Ancestry of “メタ言語”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Japanese | メタ | meta-, meta; German silver |
| 2 | English | metal | "Chemical elements or alloys, and the mines where... |
| 3 | French | métal | metal |
| 4 | German | metall | — |
| 5 | Italian | metallo | metal |
| 6 | Spanish | metal | metal |
| 7 | Old Spanish | metal | metal |
| 8 | Old French | métal | — |
| 9 | Latin | metallum | metal; precious metals, especially gold or... |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | μέταλλον | A mine, quarry, or salt pit; metal |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | μέταλλευειν | to mine, quarry |