meta-, met-, meth-

(Greek: after, behind, beyond; changed in form, altered; higher [used to designate a higher degree of a branch of science])

A variety of applications that include the following:

later, behind; as in: metaphase, metathorax
beyond, transcending, encompassing; as in: metagalaxy, metalanguage
change, transformation; as in: metaplasia
higher, more developed; as in: metaxylem
used in chemical names; as in: metaphosphate