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metanalysis

[met-uh-nal-uh-sis]
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noun, plural met·a·nal·y·ses [met-uh-nal-uh-seez] /ˌmɛt əˈnæl əˌsiz/.
  1. a shift in the division between words in a phrase; misdivision: “A nickname” resulted from metanalysis of “an ekename.”
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Origin of metanalysis

First recorded in 1910–15
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Word Origin and History for metanalysis

n.

1914, from meta- + analysis. Coined by Danish philologist Otto Jespersen (1860-1943).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper