metaphysics

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mɛtəˈfɪzɪks/^[1]

Etymology

It is the plural of inherited from Middle English methaphisik,^[2][3][4] borrowed from Medieval Latin metaphysica,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Medieval Greek (tà) metaphusiká,^[2][3][4][6] from Greek tà metà tà phusiká “the (works) after the Physics”,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} the title of Aristotle's treatise on first principles, which followed his works on physics.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Earliest recorded meaning

The branch of speculation dealing with the first causes of things (before 1387 as methaphesik);^[3][4] the plural form dates from 1569.^[7][3][5]

Semantic evolution

The name was given about 70 BC by Andronicus of Rhodes simply to describe the order of the books, but Latin writers misinterpreted it as “the science of what lies beyond the physical”.^[4][6] The word was at first used in the singular in English; the plural prevailed after the 17th century.^[4] From the 17th century it could mean philosophy in general,^[4] and later also abstruse or excessively subtle reasoning^[2] and the theoretical principles of a particular field (1845).^[7][2]

Timeline

• before 1387 – methaphesik.^[3]
• 1569 – metaphysics.^[7][3][5]
• c. 1590 – occult or magical lore, in Marlowe (obsolete).^[7]
• 1845 – the theoretical principles of a field.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality and being, including ontology and cosmology.
2. The theoretical or first principles of a particular subject.
3. Abstract speculation on questions that cannot be answered by scientific observation.
4. Excessively subtle or abstruse reasoning.

Word family

• metaphysical
• metaphysician

Related words

• physics
• ontology
• epistemology

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press