The word metta means 'many things disappear,' that is, having no clue, the word tara means plenty as the word tarafuku shows, and the word yatara can be understood as 'shooting many arrows,' which indicates that the origin of the word is in Yumiya.
滅多は「多くの物が無くなる」即ち見当が付かない事を指し、鱈（タラ）は鱈腹（たらふく）の鱈で多いと言う意味があり、矢鱈は「たくさんの矢を放つ」という意味にもとれ、語源が弓矢にある事を窺わせる。