Late 19th century; earliest use found in Nature: a weekly journal of science. From meta- + -phyte, after German Metaphyt (Haeckel Natürliche Schöpfungs-Geschichte (ed. 7) II. xix. 460).
Definition of metaphyte in US English:
metaphyte
nounˈmɛtəfʌɪt
Biology
A multicellular plant.
Origin
Late 19th century; earliest use found in Nature: a weekly journal of science. From meta- + -phyte, after German Metaphyt (Haeckel Natürliche Schöpfungs-Geschichte (ed. 7) II. xix. 460).