Definition of "meta-" []

• Later in time: metestrus. (prefix)
• At a later stage of development: metanephros. (prefix)
• Situated behind: metacarpus. (prefix)
• Change; transformation: metachromatism. (prefix)
• Alternation: metagenesis. (prefix)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Apparently the vagus nerve is sort of a meta- nerve that transits much of the longitudinal axis of the body."
• "It's an exercise in meta- and all the other pseudo-intellectual, self-referential terms that critics toss around when a movie isn't actually about anything."
• "The prefix meta- means “higher” or “more comprehensive.”"