Metasome Met"a·some noun [ Prefix meta- + -some body.] (Zoology) One of the component segments of the body of an animal.

Metastannate Met`a·stan"nate noun (Chemistry) A salt of metastannic acid.

Metastannic Met`a·stan"nic adjective (Chemistry) Pertaining to, or designating, a compound of tin (metastannic acid), obtained, as an isomeric modification of stannic acid, in the form of a white amorphous substance.

Metastasis Me·tas"ta·sis noun ; plural Metastases . [ Latin , transition, from Greek ..., from ... to place in another way; ... after + ... to place.]

1. (Theol.) A spiritual change, as during baptism.

2. (Medicine) A change in the location of a disease, as from one part to another. Dunglison.

3. (Physiol.) The act or process by which matter is taken up by cells or tissues and is transformed into other matter; in plants, the act or process by which are produced all of those chemical changes in the constituents of the plant which are not accompanied by a production of organic matter; metabolism.

Metastatic Met`a·stat"ic adjective Of, pertaining to, or caused by, metastasis; as, a metastatic abscess; the metastatic processes of growth.

Metasternal Met`a·ster"nal adjective Of or pertaining to the metasternum.

Metasternum Met`a·ster"num noun [ Prefix meta- + sternum .] 1. (Anat.) The most posterior element of the sternum; the ensiform process; xiphisternum.

2. (Zoology) The ventral plate of the third or last segment of the thorax of insects.

Metastoma, Metastome Me·tas"to·ma, Met"a·stome noun [ New Latin metastoma , from Greek meta` behind + sto`ma mouth.] (Zoology) A median elevation behind the mouth in the arthropods.

Metatarsal Met`a·tar"sal adjective (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the metatarsus. -- noun A metatarsal bone.

Metatarse Met"a·tarse noun (Anat.) Metatarsus.

Metatarsus Met`a·tar"sus noun ; plural Metatarsi . [ New Latin See Meta- , and Tarsus .] (Anat.) That part of the skeleton of the hind or lower limb between the tarsus and phalanges; metatarse. It consists, in the human foot, of five bones. See Illustration in Appendix.

Metate Me·ta"te noun [ Spanish , from Mex. metlatl .] A flat or somewhat hollowed stone upon which grain or other food is ground, by means of a smaller stone or pestle. [ Southwestern U. S. & Spanish Amer.]

Metathesis Me·tath"e·sis noun ; plural Metatheses [ Latin , from Greek meta`thesis , from metatithe`nai to place differently, to transpose; meta` beyond, over + tithe`nai to place, set. See Thesis .] 1. (Gram.) Transposition, as of the letters or syllables of a word; as, pistris for pristis ; meagre for meager .

2. (Medicine) A mere change in place of a morbid substance, without removal from the body.

3. (Chemistry) The act, process, or result of exchange, substitution, or replacement of atoms and radicals; thus, by metathesis an acid gives up all or part of its hydrogen, takes on an equivalent amount of a metal or base, and forms a salt.

Metathetic, Metathetical Met`a·thet"ic, Met`a·thet"ic·al adjective Of or pertaining to metathesis.

Metathoracic Met`a·tho·rac"ic adjective (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the metathorax.

Metathorax Met`a·tho"rax noun [ New Latin : confer French métathorax . See Meta- , and Thorax .] (Zoology) The last or posterior segment of the thorax in insects. See Illust. of Coleoptera .

Metatitanic Met`a·ti·tan"ic adjective [ Prefix meta- + titanic .] (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid of titanium analogous to metasilicic acid.

Metatungstate Met`a·tung"state noun (Chemistry) A salt of metatungstic acid.

Metatungstic Met`a·tung"stic adjective [ Prefix meta- + tungstic .] (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid known only in its salts (the metatungstates ) and properly called polytungstic , or pyrotungstic , acid.

Metavanadate Met`a·van"a·date noun (Chemistry) A salt of metavanadic acid.

Metavanadic Met`a·va·nad"ic adjective [ Prefix meta- + vanadic .] (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or designating, a vanadic acid analogous to metaphosphoric acid.

Metaxylene Met`a·xy"lene noun [ Prefix meta- + xylene .] (Chemistry) That variety of xylene, or dimethyl benzene, in which the two methyl groups occupy the meta position with reference to each other. It is a colorless inflammable liquid.

Métayage Mé`ta`yage" noun [ French See Métayer .] A system of farming on halves. [ France & Italy]

Métayer Mé`ta`yer" noun [ French, from Late Latin medietarius , from Latin medius middle, half. See Mid , adjective ] One who cultivates land for a share (usually one half) of its yield, receiving stock, tools, and seed from the landlord. [ France & Italy] Milman.

Metazoa Met`a·zo"a noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... after + zo^,on an animal.] (Zoology) Those animals in which the protoplasmic mass, constituting the egg, is converted into a multitude of cells, which are metamorphosed into the tissues of the body. A central cavity is commonly developed, and the cells around it are at first arranged in two layers, -- the ectoderm and endoderm . The group comprises nearly all animals except the Protozoa.

Metazoan Met`a·zo"an noun ; plural Metazoans (Zoology) One of the Metazoa.

Metazoic Met`a·zo"ic adjective (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the Metazoa.

Metazoön Met`a·zo"ön noun [ New Latin ] (Zoology) One of the Metazoa.

Mete Mete noun Meat. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Mete Mete transitive verb & i. To meet. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Mete Mete intransitive verb & t. [ imperfect Mette ; past participle Met .] [ Anglo-Saxon m...tan .] To dream; also impersonally; as, me mette , I dreamed. [ Obsolete] "I mette of him all night." Chaucer.

Mete Mete transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Meted ; present participle & verbal noun Meting .] [ Anglo-Saxon metan ; akin to Dutch meten , German messen , Old High German mezzan , Icelandic meta , Swedish mäta , Goth. mitan , Latin modus measure, moderation, modius a corn measure, Greek ... to rule, ... a corn measure, and ultimately from the same root as English measure , Latin metiri to measure; confer Sanskrit mā to measure. √99. Confer Measure , Meet , adjective , Mode .] To find the quantity, dimensions, or capacity of, by any rule or standard; to measure.

Mete Mete intransitive verb To measure. [ Obsolete] Mark iv. 24.

Mete Mete noun [ Anglo-Saxon met . See Mete to measure.] Measure; limit; boundary; -- used chiefly in the plural, and in the phrase metes and bounds .

Metecorn Mete"corn` noun A quantity of corn formerly given by the lord to his customary tenants, as an encouragement to, or reward for, labor and faithful service.

Metely Mete"ly adjective According to measure or proportion; proportionable; proportionate. [ Obsolete]

Metempiric, Metempirical Met`em·pir"ic, Met`em·pir"ic·al adjective [ Prefix met- + empiric , - ical .] (Metaph.) Related, or belonging, to the objects of knowledge within the province of metempirics.

If then the empirical designates the province we include within the range of science, the province we exclude may be fitly styled the metempirical .

G. H. Lewes.

Metempiricism Met·em·pir"i·cism noun The science that is concerned with metempirics.

Metempirics Met`em·pir"ics noun The concepts and relations which are conceived as beyond, and yet as related to, the knowledge gained by experience.

Metempsychose Me·temp"sy·chose transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Metempsychosed ; present participle & verbal noun Metempsychosing .] [ See Metempsychosis .] To translate or transfer, as the soul, from one body to another. [ R.] Peacham.

Metempsychosis Me·temp`sy·cho"sis noun [ New Latin , from Greek ...; ... beyond, over + ... to animate; ... in + ... soul. See Psychology .] The passage of the soul, as an immortal essence, at the death of the animal body it had inhabited, into another living body, whether of a brute or a human being; transmigration of souls. Sir T. Browne.

Metemptosis Met`emp·to"sis noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... beyond, after + ... a falling upon, from ... to fall in or upon; ... in + ... to fall.] (Chron.) The suppression of a day in the calendar to prevent the date of the new moon being set a day too late, or the suppression of the bissextile day once in 134 years. The opposite to this is the proemptosis , or the addition of a day every 330 years, and another every 2,400 years.

Metencephalon Met`en·ceph"a·lon noun [ Met- + encephalon .] (Anat.) The posterior part of the brain, including the medulla; the afterbrain. Sometimes abbreviated to meten .

Metensomatosis Met`en·so`ma·to"sis noun [ Latin , a change of body (by the soul), from Greek ....] (Biol.) The assimilation by one body or organism of the elements of another.

Meteor Me"te·or noun [ French météore , Greek ..., plural ... things in the air, from ... high in air, raised off the ground; ... beyond + ..., ..., a suspension or hovering in the air, from ... to lift, raise up.]

1. Any phenomenon or appearance in the atmosphere, as clouds, rain, hail, snow, etc.

Hail, an ordinary meteor .

Bp. Hall.

2. Specif.: A transient luminous body or appearance seen in the atmosphere, or in a more elevated region.

The vaulty top of heaven
Figured quite o'er with burning meteors .

Shak.

» The term is especially applied to fireballs, and the masses of stone or other substances which sometimes fall to the earth; also to shooting stars and to ignes fatui. Meteors are often classed as: aerial meteors , winds, tornadoes, etc.; aqueous meteors , rain, hail, snow, dew, etc.; luminous meteors , rainbows, halos, etc.; and igneous meteors , lightning, shooting stars, and the like.

Meteoric Me`te·or"ic adjective [ Confer French météorique .] 1. Of or pertaining to a meteor, or to meteors; atmospheric, as, meteoric phenomena; meteoric stones.

2. Influenced by the weather; as, meteoric conditions.

3. Flashing; brilliant; transient; like a meteor; as, meteoric fame. " Meteoric politician." Craik.

Meteoric iron , Meteoric stone . (Min.) See Meteorite . -- Meteoric paper , a substance of confervoid origin found floating in the air, and resembling bits of coarse paper; -- so called because formerly supposed to fall from meteors. -- Meteoric showers , periodical exhibitions of shooting stars, occuring about the 9th or 10th of August and 13th of November, more rarely in April and December, and also at some other periods.

Meteorical Me`te·or"ic·al adjective Meteoric.

Meteorism Me"te·or·ism noun (Medicine) Flatulent distention of the abdomen; tympanites.

Meteorite Me"te·or·ite noun [ Confer French météorite .] (Min.) A mass of stone or iron which has fallen to the earth from space; an aërolite.

» Meteorites usually show a pitted surface with a fused crust, caused by the heat developed in their rapid passage through the earth's atmosphere. A meteorite may consist: 1 . Of metallic iron, alloyed with a small percentage of nickel ( meteoric iron , holosiderite ). When etched this usually exhibits peculiar crystalline figures, called Widmanstätten figures . 2 . Of a cellular mass of iron with imbedded silicates ( mesosiderite or siderolite ). 3 . Of a stony mass of silicates with little iron ( meteoric stone , sporadosiderite ). 4 . Of a mass without iron ( asiderite ).

Meteorize Me"te·or·ize intransitive verb [ Greek ... to raise to a height.] To ascend in vapors; to take the form of a meteor. Evelyn.

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