metaphysics

the term 'metaphysics' originates from the greek phrase 'ta meta ta physika', meaning "the [works] after the physics". this was the title given by later editors, notably andronicus of rhodes in the 1st century bc, to a collection of aristotle's treatises that were placed after his works on physics. the literal sense of "after physics" was thus a bibliographic accident, but the content of these works dealt with questions of being, substance, cause, and the first principles of reality—topics considered to go "beyond" the physical world studied in physics. over time, the term evolved from this editorial label into the name for the core philosophical discipline concerned with the fundamental nature of reality that underlies empirical science.

Structure: meta (beyond/after) + physics (the study of nature) meta: from greek, meaning "after, beyond, with, among". in this context, it denotes a higher order of abstraction or inquiry. physics: from greek, meaning "nature, natural things". it refers to the study of the physical world.