metafunction

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noun

A function which calls all the other functions of a certain program; the only function that can be called independently.

OriginEnglish function ← Ancient Greek μετᾰ- (metă-) →
Scrabble 19
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Meanings

nounmetafunction (plural metafunctions)

plural metafunctions

  1. computingA function which calls all the other functions of a certain program; the only function that can be called independently.
  2. computingA construct that performs a mapping between entities at compile time.
  3. human sciencesA group of grammatical systems that make meanings of a related kind.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekμετᾰ́ (metắ)
  2. Ancient Greekμετᾰ- (metă-)
  3. Englishmeta-
  4. Englishfunction
  5. Englishmetafunction

From meta- + function.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

metafunction. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metafunction

MLA

“metafunction.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metafunction. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “metafunction,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metafunction.

Source: metafunction on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.