etic

[ et-ik ]

adjectiveLinguistics.

pertaining to or being the raw data of a language or other area of behavior, without considering the data as significant units functioning within a system.

Origin of etic

¹

1950–55; extracted from phonetic; see emic

Compare emic.

Other definitions for -etic (2 of 2)

-etic

a suffix used in the formation of adjectives: eidetic.

Origin of -etic

²

<Latin -eticus,Greek -etikos, equivalent to -et-, a formative occurring in some nouns + -ikos-ic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use etic in a sentence

The facetious subalterns called it "The Parapet-etic School."
Kitchener's Mob | James Norman Hall

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