Not exactly :). If we think a programming language as a person, its syntax layer is like the person's look. The person will have a look even without any clothe

Not exactly :). If we think a programming language as a person, its syntax layer is like the person's look. The person will have a look even without any clothes but the clothes can change his look (syntax matters). JVM is more like the person's bones (and muscles and other essentials beneath his skin) and Java and Clojure etc. are more like different persons with the same bone structure. Java is a programming language, JVM is not, and the meta-layer I was referring is more like clothes that we can put on the persons.