metis
/meɪˈtiː/noun, adjective
metis is spelled M-E-T-I-S: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, metis means “A person of mixed-race ancestry” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in metis?
| Letters | 5: M-E-T-I-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 64,400th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is metis?
Metis appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce metis?
- /meɪˈtiː/
- /meɪˈtiːs/
As a noun (“Practical intelligence; street smarts”): /ˈmiːtɪs/.
Metis has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What rhymes with metis?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as metis.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: times, smite.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of metis
- métis
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does metis mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person of mixed-race ancestry.
- 2
CanadaUSAlternative letter-case form of Metis (“a member of one of three Canadian Aboriginal peoples; any person of mixed European and Indigenous descent”).
- 3
USA person of one-eighth black ancestry; an octoroon.
- 4
Practical intelligence; street smarts.
adjective
- 1
Of mixed heritage
- 2
Of Métis heritage.
noun
- 1
CanadaUSA member of one of these three Canadian Aboriginal peoples.
- 2
CanadaA person of mixed European and Aboriginal descent.
Malcolm Norris proposed that "if he has one drop of Indian blood in his veins and has not been assimilated into the social fabric of our civilization he is a Metis."
noun
- 1
Alternative form of metis.
noun
- 1
plural of METI
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Metis in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a person of mixed European and Aboriginal descent:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does metis come from?
Borrowed from French métis, from Late Latin mixticius, from Latin mixtus (“mixed”). Akin to mestizo, which came from Spanish. More at Metis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).