-cy

/-si/British, Southern, Standard/-sɪj/

suffix

Used to form nouns of state, condition or quality.

“abbot + -cy → abbacy”

Similar
-ness-ity-itude-th-ate
OriginAnglo-Norman -cie ← Latin -cia ← Ancient Greek -κια →
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Meanings

suffix-cy (noun-forming suffix, countable and uncountable, plural -cies)

plural -cies

  1. countableuncountablenon-productiveUsed to form nouns of state, condition or quality.

    private + -cy → privacy

    2 more examples

    frequent + -cy → frequency

    obstinate + -cy → obstinacy

    Synonyms: -ness, -ity, -itude, -th

  2. countableuncountablenon-productiveUsed to form nouns of rank or office.

    abbot + -cy → abbacy

    2 more examples

    president + -cy → presidency

    magistrate + -cy → magistracy

    Synonyms: -ate

Synonyms & antonyms

suffixUsed to form nouns of state, condition or quality.

Similar
-ness-ity-itude-th

suffixUsed to form nouns of rank or office.

Similar
-ate
Also see
-ate-th

Origin

  1. Ancient Greek-ια
  2. Latin-ia
  3. Ancient Greek-κια
  4. Latin-cia
  5. Anglo-Norman-cie
  6. English-cy

From Anglo-Norman -cie, ultimately from Latin -cia, -tia, Ancient Greek -κια (-kia), -τια (-tia), originally variants of Latin -ia and Ancient Greek -ια (-ia), -ία (-ía) or -εια (-eia). Original loan words like pharmacy and papacy could have formed the model.

More words from Anglo-Norman, Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Hungarian -ság/-ség, -ás/-és, -s, -cia
  • -ság/-ség, -ás/-és, -s, -ciaused to form nouns of state, condition or quality e.g. obstinacy
Italian -aggine
  • -aggineused to form nouns of state, condition or quality e.g. obstinacy
Malay -si
  • -siused to form nouns of state, condition or quality e.g. obstinacy
Polish -cja
  • -cjaused to form nouns of state, condition or quality e.g. obstinacy
Portuguese -cia, -idade
  • -ciaused to form nouns of state, condition or quality e.g. obstinacy
  • -idadeused to form nouns of state, condition or quality e.g. obstinacy
Spanish -cia, -ez
  • -ciaused to form nouns of state, condition or quality e.g. obstinacy
  • -ezused to form nouns of state, condition or quality e.g. obstinacy
  • -ezaused to form nouns of state, condition or quality e.g. obstinacy
  • -zaused to form nouns of state, condition or quality e.g. obstinacy

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with -cy

accountancy-ancyprevenancy
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

-cy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-cy

MLA

“-cy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-cy. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-cy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-cy.

Source: -cy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.