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meta-
(MET-uh)change, beyond, after
Greek for change, beyond, or after. Metamorphosis is a change of form; a metaphor goes beyond the literal meaning.
prefixGreek
OtherSpellings:metamet
Example words
metamorphosis
a complete change of form
metaphor
a figure of speech that carries meaning beyond the literal
metabolism
the chemical processes that change food into energy
metaphysics
the branch of philosophy that goes beyond the physical
Common Core alignment
Grades served: 6, 7, 8
- L.6.4bUse common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
- L.7.4bUse common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).
- L.8.4bUse common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede).
Other. A catch-all for roots that don't fit the other categories.
Browse all other roots →L.6.4bL.7.4bL.8.4b