You’ve likely seen the term meta, but what does it mean? We’ll tell you. Read on to discover everything you need to know about the meaning of meta.
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Kevin
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February 12, 2022
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Common Questions
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You’ve probably been hearing the word meta tossed around quite a bit — thanks to Facebook’s recent rebranding — but do you know what it means? Worry not, we’ll explain everything you need to know about the meaning of meta, today!
What Does Meta Mean?
Meta is an adjective that can be defined as an individual or thing showing or suggesting an explicit awareness of oneself as a member of its own category.
In a different definition from Dictionary.com, meta means pertaining to a story, conversation, or character that consciously makes references or comments upon its own subject or features, often in the form of satire.
Additionally, Meta is the name of a river in Columbia that rises in the Andes and flows northeast and east, forming part of the border between Venezuela and Colombia to join the Orinoco River.
The Collins English Dictionary defines meta as transcending or going above and beyond.
As you can see, the term meta has many definitions and can be used in a number of different ways.
What Is the Origin of Meta?
Meta comes from the Ancient Greek μετά meaning “after” or “beyond.” This is a prefix meaning “more comprehensive” or “transcending.” When combined with English, meta often signifies “alteration” or “change,” like in metabolic or metamorphic.
The earliest form of the term “meta” is the Mycenaean Greek me-ta, written in Linear B syllabic script. The Greek preposition is related to the Old English preposition mid “with,” still found as a prefix in words like mid-wife.
Its use in English comes from back-training from the term “metaphysics.” Originally, metaphysics was nothing more than the title of one of the works of Aristotle. Andronicus of Rhodes gave it that name because Metaphysics was the publication following Physics.
Many Greek words with the prefix meta- are also included in the English vocabulary, such as:
- Metamorphosis
- Metaphysics
- Metabolism
- Metastasis
- Metaphoric
- Metallography
- Metaplasia
- Metatarsal
- Metastable
- Metacarpus
- Metaphor
- Metacognition
- Metalinguistics
The term meta can also be seen in the DC Comics Universe, where a meta-human refers to a human with superpowers.
In the 1990s, the word meta took special root in the gaming community, commonly used when discussing the most successful strategies, techniques, characters, or weapons. While some people claim this version of the term meta is an acronym for Most Effective Tactics Available (META), it is short for metagaming. Metagaming refers to using knowledge about a game to conquer the “game” of mastering that game.
Examples of Meta in a Sentence
As mentioned, meta can be prefixed or act as a simple modifier. It’s widely used in the predicate, too. For example, someone could say, “that game was so meta.” Popular culture has also gone meta, with memes showing their self-awareness as memes.
Looking for sentences with the word meta? Here are a few examples:
“The meta-search sites found online all link to the same data.”
“Are you excited for the virtual environment in the Metaverse?”
“The chemistry researchers learned a lot from the meta-analysis they conducted.”
“Some art is more meta than others.”
“Like metacognition is thinking about thinking, meta-joke is a joke about jokes.”
“Did you see that meta-text on your device via WhatsApp?”
“Many similar products can be labeled under the lawn care meta-category.”
“Did you know metadata is simply information about data?”
“These decks are great in the current meta.”
“Meta is a commonly researched term on search engines like Google.”
“League of Legends has been known to have a meta since its inauguration.”
“The announcements about Facebook’s name change to meta came as a surprise.”
“Meta-cognition means cognition about cognition whereas meta-emotion means emotion about emotion.”
“Rick was able to play chess at a much higher level when metagaming on esports.”
“They are my favorite actors who play meta-humans in the DC comics!”
“The goal of the game is to take out the champions and meta-dominate!”
What Is the Metaverse?
The term metaverse was coined in the 1992 publication Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson, a fiction novel about an epic in two parallel worlds, one real and the other virtual. These worlds are called the Metaverse. The author used the term to describe a virtual reality-based successor to the internet.
Fast forward to 2011, another novel based around the Metaverse called Ready Player One hit the shelves, later becoming a film directed by Steven Spielberg. Since then, many movies and tv shows have featured a metaverse.
In the latest Metaverse news, the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, announced that his company officially welcomed its new name as “Meta” back in October 2021. Mark changed the company’s name because he felt the former name no longer reflected the full breadth of the company’s ambitions.
The parent company — an umbrella over the Facebook app, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Oculus — is an attempt to focus the platforms on creating a real-life “metaverse.”
Metaverse is a multiverse that interoperates more with real-world and incorporates augmented reality overlays. In other words, it is a space in which the real world and the virtual space come together.
Conclusion
Mr. Zuckerberg’s metaverse company claims the Metaverse is the next evolution of social connection. It is a collective project that will be created by individuals all around the globe and is open to anyone and everyone. Users will be able to socialize, learn, collaborate, discover and play in ways that go far beyond what is possible today.
Of course, the Metaverse wouldn’t be called that if it wasn’t for the definition of the word meta: transcending, going above and beyond, and having plenty of self-awareness.
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