Etymology

metaphenomenon

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Today it means: Something that can only be perceived through abstract thought rather than by the senses. Full definition →

English phenomenon ← Late Latin phaenomenon ← Ancient Greek φαινόμενον (phainómenon)
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*me
  2. Proto-Indo-European*meth₂?
  3. Ancient Greekμετᾰ́ (metắ)
  4. Ancient Greekμετᾰ- (metă-)
  5. Englishmeta-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*bʰh₂nyéti
  8. Proto-Hellenic*pʰáňňō
  9. Ancient Greekφαίνω (phaínō)
  10. Ancient Greekφαινόμενον (phainómenon)
  11. Late Latinphaenomenon
  12. Englishphenomenon
  13. English todaymetaphenomenon

From meta- + phenomenon.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.