emic

[ ee-mik ]

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

Origin of emic

1
First recorded in 1950–55; extracted from phonemic; coined by U.S. linguist Kenneth L. Pike (1912–2000)

Words Nearby emic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024