[ ˌpatə'fɪzɪks ]
■ plural noun [usu. treated as sing. ] a supposed branch of philosophy concerned with an imaginary realm additional to metaphysics.
Derivatives
pataphysical adjective
Origin
1940s: from Gk ta epi ta metaphusika , lit. 'the (works) imposed on the metaphysics', introduced by the French absurdist writer Alfred Jarry.