metalanguage

noun

meta·​lan·​guage ˈme-tə-ˌlaŋ-gwij How to pronounce metalanguage (audio)
: a language used to talk about language

Examples of metalanguage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For young children, who do not generally experience the world through a metalanguage of explanations and abstractions, this is even more apparent. —Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

meta- + language

Note: The term was perhaps introduced by the German philosopher and logician Kurt Grelling in "The Logical Paradoxes," Mind, vol. 45, no. 180 (October, 1936), p. 486.

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of metalanguage was in 1936

Rhymes for metalanguage

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Browse Nearby Words

Metal Age
metalanguage
metalate
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Cite this Entry

“Metalanguage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/metalanguage. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on metalanguage

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about metalanguage

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