/me' t*/ or /may' t*/ or (Commonwealth) /mee' t*/ A prefix meaning one level of description higher. If X is some concept then mETA-X is data about, or processes operating on, X. For example, a mETAsyntax is syntax for specifying syntax, mETAlanguage is a language used to discuss language, mETA-data is data about data, and mETA-reasoning is reasoning about reasoning. This is difficult to explain briefly, but much hacker humour turns on deliberate confusion between mETA-levels. [Jargon File] (1999-04-06)