metaphysic

noun meta·phys·ic \ ˌme-tə-ˈfi-zik \

Definition of metaphysic

1 a :metaphysics

b :a particular system of metaphysics

2 :the system of principles underlying a particular study or subject :philosophy 3b

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metaphysic

adjective

Recent Examples of metaphysic from the Web

Aristotle, a Greek philosopher and scientist, made lasting contributions in the fields of ethics, metaphysics and biology.

— pat disabato, Daily Southtown, "Countdown to football: Mount Carmel ranked No. 5 in preseason," 21 Aug. 2017
By Lowery’s loopy metaphysics, this sends the ghost back to the time of European settlement of the American frontier.

— christian lorentzen, New Republic, "The spirit of wounded masculinity haunts America in 'A Ghost Story.'," 5 July 2017
Ela Ra: Metaphysics, Prince, latex, Rumi, Daft Punk, Steven Arnold, club kid fashion, Qawwali music, and a damn good sunrise.

— patrick crowley, Billboard, "Gold Casio Debut Sparkling 'Last Song' Video, Talk 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Glam-spiration," 14 June 2017
Occasionally metaphysics invades politics, to the surprise even of metaphysicians like me.

— crispin sartwell, WSJ, "Let’s Get Metaphysical About Trump and the ‘Post-Truth Era’," 5 May 2017
Both authors sought to explore the modern journey toward a metaphysics of personal value and ended up creating a cult-like status driving the Beat Generation through the Age of Aquarius.

— orlando sentinel, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Black dog of depression: RIP, my friend — Central Florida 100," 30 Apr. 2017
His bookshelves are organized into categories: metaphysics, theology, biology, history, law.

— joshua rothman, The New Yorker, "The Sage of Yale Law," 16 Mar. 2017
The scope of his work involves words and movement and certainly a kind of metaphysics.

— ben ratliff, New York Times, "Review: Cecil Taylor’s Mysteries Don’t Resolve at the 88th Key," 15 Apr. 2016
In the mid-1980s, a few years after Iran became the world’s first modern revolutionary theocracy, two charismatic intellectuals and their followers conducted a long-running feud over metaphysics in the country’s newspapers and lecture halls.

— steve negus, New York Times, "Laura Secor’s ‘Children of Paradise: The Struggle for the Soul of Iran’," 5 Feb. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'metaphysic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of metaphysic

Middle English metaphesyk, from Medieval Latin metaphysica

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First Known Use: 14th century

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metaphysic

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metaphysic

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