Meanings
nounmetalanguage (countable and uncountable, plural metalanguages)
plural metalanguages
- countableuncountablecritical theoryhuman sciencesAny language or vocabulary of terms used to describe or analyze a language or linguistic process.
In order to talk or theorise about phenomena, one inevitably uses a language that is in effect a metalanguage, a special instance of language that allows the theorist to stand back and describe what is happening.
2005, Michael Cronin, edited by Martha Tennent and Benjamins Translation Library, Training for the New Millennium: Pedagogies for translation and interpreting, page 255 - countableuncountablecomputingAny similar language used to define a programming language
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*me
- Proto-Indo-European*meth₂?
- Ancient Greekμετᾰ́ (metắ)
- Ancient Greekμετᾰ- (metă-)
- Englishmeta-
- Proto-Indo-European*dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s
- Proto-Italic*dn̥ɣwā
- Latindingua
- Latinlingua
- Vulgar Latin*linguāticum
- Old Frenchlanguage
- Middle Englishlangage
- Englishlanguage
- Englishmetalanguage
Translations
Bulgarian метаези́к
- метаези́к (metaezík)linguistical term
Catalan metallenguatge
- metallenguatgelinguistical term
Chinese Mandarin 元語言 /元语言, 形而上語言 /形而上语言
- 元語言 /元语言 (yuányǔyán)linguistical term
- 形而上語言 /形而上语言 (xíng'érshàng yǔyán)linguistical term
- 元語言 /元语言 (yuányǔyán)computing term
- 形而上語言 /形而上语言 (xíng'érshàng yǔyán)computing term
Czech metajazyk
- metajazyklinguistical term
Finnish metakieli, metakieli
- metakielilinguistical term
- metakielicomputing term
French métalangage, métalangage
- métalangagelinguistical term
- métalangagecomputing term
German Metasprache, Metasprache
- Metasprachelinguistical term
- Metasprachecomputing term
Greek μεταγλώσσα, μεταγλώσσα
- μεταγλώσσα (metaglóssa)linguistical term
- μεταγλώσσα (metaglóssa)computing term
Hungarian metanyelv
- metanyelvlinguistical term
Icelandic hjálparmál, lýsimál
- hjálparmállinguistical term
- lýsimálcomputing term
Irish meititheanga, meititheanga
- meititheangalinguistical term
- meititheangacomputing term
Italian metalinguaggio, metalingua
- metalinguaggiolinguistical term
- metalinguacomputing term
Japanese メタ言語, メタ言語
- メタ言語 (meta gengo)linguistical term
- メタ言語 (meta gengo)computing term
Polish metajęzyk, metajęzyk
- metajęzyklinguistical term
- metajęzykcomputing term
Portuguese metalinguagem, metalinguagem
- metalinguagemlinguistical term
- metalinguagemcomputing term
Russian метаязы́к, метаязы́к
- метаязы́к (metajazýk)linguistical term
- метаязы́к (metajazýk)computing term
Slovak metajazyk
- metajazyklinguistical term
Swedish metaspråk
- metaspråklinguistical term
Thai อภิภาษา, อภิภาษา
- อภิภาษาlinguistical term
- อภิภาษาcomputing term
Turkish üstdil, üstdil
- üstdillinguistical term
- üstdilcomputing term
Ukrainian метамо́ва, метамо́ва
- метамо́ва (metamóva)linguistical term
- метамо́ва (metamóva)computing term
Cite this entry
APA
metalanguage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metalanguage
MLA
“metalanguage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metalanguage. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “metalanguage,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metalanguage.
Source: metalanguage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.