Etymology

From meta- +‎ (uni)verseCategory:English terms prefixed with meta-#UNIVERSE. Analyzable as meta- +‎ -verseCategory:English terms prefixed with meta-#VERSECategory:English terms suffixed with -verse#METAVERSE. In the sci-fi sense coined by American science fiction writer Neal Stephenson in 1992Category:English terms coined by Neal Stephenson#METAVERSECategory:English coinages#METAVERSE.^[1]

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛt.ə.vɜːs/Category:English 3-syllable words#METAVERSECategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#METAVERSE

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

    Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#METAVERSE
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛt.ə.vɝs/, [ˈmɛɾ.ə.vɝs]Category:English 3-syllable words#METAVERSECategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#METAVERSE
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈmet.ə.vɜːs/, [ˈmeɾ.ə.vɜːs]Category:English 3-syllable words#METAVERSECategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#METAVERSE
• Hyphenation: met‧uh‧vurs

Noun

metaverse (plural metaverses)Category:English lemmas#METAVERSECategory:English nouns#METAVERSECategory:English countable nouns#METAVERSECategory:English entries with incorrect language header#METAVERSECategory:Pages with entries#METAVERSECategory:Pages with 1 entry#METAVERSE

2. (science fictionCategory:en:Science fiction#METAVERSE, InternetCategory:en:Internet#METAVERSE, computingCategory:en:Computing#METAVERSE) A hypothetical future (counterpart or continuation of the) Internet, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space.

   Coordinate terms: VR, virtual reality, AR, augmented reality, MR, mixed reality, spatial computing, CPS, cyber-physical system; RR, real reality, IRL

   • 2011 [1992], Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash, →ISBN, page 36:

     Hiro walks straight through the display, and it vanishes. Amusement park in the Metaverse can be fantastic, offering a wide selection of interactive three-dimensional movies.

     Category:English terms with quotations#METAVERSE

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   • 1997 July 7, Zina Moukheiber, “The geeks have inherited the earth”, in Forbes, →ISSN, pages 354–356:

     It is closer, in other words, to another science fiction vision, the “metaverse” Neal Stephenson envisioned in his 1992 Snow Crash. That particular moniker has not caught on, but many of Stephenson's ideas about what the on-line world can look like are driving a new generation of entrepreneurs to try to match it.

     Category:English terms with quotations#METAVERSE

   • 2020 May 15, Keith Stuart, “Fortnite Party Royale is the most fun you can have in the metaverse”, in The Guardian‎:

     But now, with 350 million players who are used to hanging out in a vibrant, ridiculous online world filled with dancing bananas and cartoon skirmishes, Party Royale could be the experience that finally realises the idea of a playful, mass participation online metaverse.

     Category:English terms with quotations#METAVERSE

   • 2021 July 10, John Herrman, Kellen Browning, “Are We in the Metaverse Yet?”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     Video games like Roblox and Fortnite and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, in which players can build their own worlds, have metaverse tendencies, as does most social media. If you own a non-fungible token or even just some crypto, you’re part of the metaversal experience. Virtual and augmented reality are, at a minimum, metaverse adjacent.

     Category:English terms with quotations#METAVERSE

   • 2021 July 30, Brian Merchant, “The Metaverse Has Always Been a Dystopian Idea”, in VICE‎:

     In the world of Snow Crash, the metaverse is not viewed as particularly cool—it is necessary, because the real world has become so unbearable.

     Category:English terms with quotations#METAVERSE

   • 2022 January 18, Brian X. Chen, “What’s All the Hype About the Metaverse?”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     The metaverse is the convergence of two ideas that have been around for many years: virtual reality and a digital second life.

     Category:English terms with quotations#METAVERSE

3. (now rareCategory:English terms with rare senses#METAVERSE) A set or the composite of all universes.

   Synonyms: metauniverse, multiverse; see others there

   • 2003, Ervin Laszlo, The Connectivity Hypothesis, page 108:

     A single-cycle universe comes to eternal rest. But further instabilities in the virtual energy domain may occur, and some of these may be potent enough to create new universes. The thesis of a metaverse giving rise to local universes is cogent, […]

     Category:English terms with quotations#METAVERSE

     Category:Quotation templates to be cleaned

References

Further reading

• metaverse on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• multiverse on Wikipedia.Wikipedia