pataphysique

French

Alternative forms

’pataphysique (original spelling)

Etymology

Coined by the writer Alfred Jarry. In his work Exploits and Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician, the etymology is given as Ancient Greek ἔπι (μετὰ τὰ φυσικά) (épi (metà tà phusiká), “over (metaphysics))”), an allusion to Τὰ μετὰ τὰ φυσικά (Tà metà tà phusiká, literally “the [writings] after the Physics”), the original title of Metaphysics by Aristotle. The invented prefix pata- plays with the proximity of words such as patate (“potato”) or pataquès (“mumble”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /pa.ta.fi.zik/
Audio (file)

Noun

pataphysique f (uncountable)

(literature, humorous) pataphysics (absurdist philosophy)
- 1911, Alfred Jarry, Gestes et opinions du docteur Faustroll, book 2, Fasquelle, page 21:
  La pataphysique, dont l’étymologie doit s’écrire ἔπι (μετὰ τὰ φυσικά) et l’orthographe réelle ’pataphysique, précédé d’un apostrophe, afin d’éviter un facile calembour, est la science de ce qui se surajoute à la métaphysique, soit en elle-même, soit hors d’elle-même, s’étendant aussi loin au delà de celle-ci que celle-ci au delà de la physique.
  Pataphysics, whose etymology should be written as ἔπι (μετὰ τὰ φυσικά) and the actual orthography as ’pataphysics, preceded by an apostrophe to avoid a facile pun, is the science which, both in itself and beyond, expands metaphysics to the same degree as the latter physics.

Derived terms

pataphysicien