# phatic

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈfætɪk/

## Definitions
1. Pertaining to words used to convey any kind of social relationship and whose meaning is otherwise either deemphasized or absent.

## Etymology
From Ancient Greek φατός (phatós, “spoken”) - from φημί (phēmí, “I say”) - + -ic.
Probably formally influenced by emphatic, which predates this term.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/phatic