前綴 meta-

漢：來源於希臘語，意爲“change”（metamorphosis.metathesis)和“beyond after”(metaphysics,metapsychology)。在元音字母和輔音字母h前，字母A脫落。它還有大多數前綴都含有的“intensive”含義。
英：word-forming element meaning 1. "after, behind," 2. "changed, altered," 3. "higher, beyond;" from Gk. meta (prep.) "in the midst of, in common with, by means of, in pursuit or quest of," from PIE *me- "in the middle" (cf. Ger. mit, Goth. miþ, O.E. mið "with, together with, among;" see mid). Notion of "changing places with" probably led to senses "change of place, order, or nature," which was a principal meaning of the Greek word when used as a prefix (but also denoting "community, participation; in common with; pursuing").

Third sense, "higher than, transcending, overarching, dealing with the most fundamental matters of," is due to misinterpretation of metaphysics as "science of that which transcends the physical." This has led to a prodigious erroneous extension in modern usage, with meta- affixed to the names of other sciences and disciplines, especially in the academic jargon of literary criticism, which affixes it to just about anything that moves and much that doesn't.

1.metabolism
n.process by which food is built up into living matter or by which living matter is broken down into simplwe substances新陣代謝 *meta(=change),bol(=throw)
例句：The drug seemed to upset her body's metabolism。那種葯似乎擾亂了她的新陳代謝。
2.metaphor
n.the use of words to indicate something different from the literal meaning.隱喻 *meta(=change),phor(=carry)
例句：His writing is full of metaphors ,so not easy for a non-native speaker of English to understand.他的文字充滿了隱喻，因此對於不是以英語爲母語的人來說很難理解。
3.metaphysical
adj.of metaphysics ,based on abstract reasoning開而上學的，抽象的 *meta(=beyond),physi(=nature)
例句：First ,let us separate scientific fact from purely metaphysical theory.首先，讓我們把科學事實和純粹的形而上學理論區別開來。
4.metaphysics
n.branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of existence,truth ,and knowledge 形而上學 *meta(=beyond),physi(=nature)
例句：Metaphysics can sometimes explain that which cannot be explained scientifically.形而上學有時可以解釋科學無法解釋的東西。
5.methodology
n.science or study of method 方法論，方法學 *met(meta(=intensive),hod (=way)
例句：His teaching methodology developed as he gained more experience.他的教學方法隨著教學經騐的增加而不斷完善。