noun, plural met·a·nal·y·ses [met-uh–nal–uh-seez] /ˌmɛt əˈnæl əˌsiz/.
- a shift in the division between words in a phrase; misdivision: “A nickname” resulted from metanalysis of “an ekename.”
n.1914, from meta- + analysis. Coined by Danish philologist Otto Jespersen (1860-1943).