A macrosememe consists of a class of semantically related macrosemes which constitute a meaningful component of a structure having two or more sememes and at least one episememe. [...] Macrosememes are of two types: (1) 'linguimacrosememes', based upon the linguistic context and (2) 'ethnomacrosememes', based upon the nonlinguistic context.
- Nida (1951), Pag. 13

The meaning of a particular structure, e.g. 'applesauce', consists of all the macrosememes which such a form possesses. These include [...](2) an endocentric ethnomacrosememe, (as a designation of a kind of food, 'applesauce' means a 'sauce' made of 'apples'), and (3) an exocentric ethnomacrosememe, (as an exclamation of disbelief or disgust, the meaning of the combination is not to be described in terms of the components 'apple' and 'sauce').
- Nida (1951), Pag. 14