> as lemmas

1929 H. B. Curry in Amer. Jrnl. Math. 51 368 With each theory there is associated a metatheory in which we reason intuitively about the theory.

1956 E. H. Hutten Lang. Mod. Physics iii. 81 When we want to explain how scientific theories are constructed..we must speak about them; and this requires a suitable terminology. This meta-theory, or methodology, is as necessary to science as grammar is to ordinary language.

1989 Behavioral & Brain Sci. 12 770/2 IP is metatheory (a characterization of the goals for a field) rather than a theory per se.