Definition of "etic" [etic]

• Of or relating to features or items analyzed without considering their role as a structural unit in a system, as in behavioral science or linguistics. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Some important terms were introduced - e.g. 'emic' and 'etic' - but not taken to enough depth in examples to drive home the deeper implications."
• "John McCreery: Rick, If "etic" means nothing more than a third-party label, then the PRIZM labels might be called ..."
• "Obviously this ain't real news to us and is something that I already know is innate and automatic when working with Black client's, but it's been a good resource to recommend to collegues that either have NO clue how to communicate and facilitate dialogue with African American individuals and their families or they have an "etic" point of view (they can apply the same counseling approaches to everybody regardless of their culture … smh)."