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emic

American  
[ee-mik] / ˈi mɪk /

adjective

Linguistics.

  1. pertaining to or being a significant unit that functions in contrast with other units in a language or other system of behavior.

Etymology

Origin of emic

First recorded in 1950–55; extracted from phonemic; coined by U.S. linguist Kenneth L. Pike (1912–2000)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.