-ic

Alternative forms

• -ick obsolete

Etymology

From French -ique, from Latin -icus,

from Proto-Indo-European *-ikos, *-iḱos, formed with the i-stem suffix *-i- and the adjectival suffix *-ko-. Cognates include Ancient Greek -ικός, Sanskrit श, क and Old Church Slavonic -ъkъ.

PIE *-ko- on noun stems carried the meaning 'characteristic of, like, typical, pertaining to', and on adjectival stems it acted emphatically.

Full definition of -ic

Suffix

1. Used to form adjectives from nouns with the meaning "of or pertaining to";Cyrillicacidic
2. (chemistry) Used to denote certain chemical compounds in which a specified chemical element has a higher oxidation number than in the equivalent compound whose name ends in the suffix -ous. For example sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄) has more oxygen atoms per molecule than sulphurous acid (H₂SO₃).

Usage notes

The suffix -ic is often added to words of Greek or Latin origin, but may also be used with other words.

Derived terms

Related terms

• -ical
• -ics