OCL231 — Use of the word meta

I want to signal that the use of the word "meta" is confusing. Here is an example on page 47.

TypeExp
A TypeExp is an expression used to refer to an existing meta type within an expression.

According to Merriam-Webster, "meta" is usually a prefix that could be added at the beginning of a word. This particle should be merged to the main word (like in metabasis) or attached using an hyphen (like meta-analysis).

In consequence, we should read "metatype" which seems to hold the correct meaning. It is coherent with metaclass, for example. By the way, "metatype" is used at many places in the document.

In some contexts and in the familiar language, you can use "meta" as a diminutive for something when its meaning is obvious. For example, "the meta is broken" when you mean the metacarpus. In a specification document and in a context where we have to differentiate many metaconcepts, it doesn't have its place.

It is seen at many places in this document and may be other. In this one, we see "meta model" and "meta-model", while the word "metamodel" should be and is effectively used.

yes