The story
- Proto-Indo-European*me
- Proto-Indo-European*meth₂?
- Ancient Greekμετᾰ́ (metắ)
- Ancient Greekμετᾰ- (metă-)
- Englishmeta-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₃emh₃-
- Proto-Italic*amāō
- Latinamō
- Latinamōrem
- Old Frenchamor
- Middle Frenchamour
- Middle Englishamour
- Frenchamourinflu.
- Englishamour
- Englishparamourinflu.
- English todaymetamour
From meta- (“transcending”) + amour (“lover”), likely influenced by paramour.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.