Meanings
suffix-ic (adjective-forming suffix, comparative more -ic, superlative most -ic)
comparative more -ic · superlative most -ic · alternative obsolete -ick
- Used to form adjectives from nouns with the meaning “of or pertaining to”.
acid + -ic → acidic
1 more example
Cyril + -ic → Cyrillic
- chemistryUsed to denote certain chemical compounds in which a specified chemical element has a greater 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).
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*-kos, *-ḱos
- Latin-icus
- Old French-ique
- Middle English-ik
- English-ic
From Middle English -ik, from Old French -ique, from Latin -icus, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos, *-ḱos, formed with the i-stem suffix *-i- and the adjectival suffix *-kos, *-ḱos. Compare Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós), Sanskrit -इक (-ika) and Old Church Slavonic -ъкъ (-ŭkŭ). Doublet of -y; compare also -ac. Proto-Indo-European *-kos on noun stems carried the meaning 'characteristic of, like, typical, pertaining to', and on adjectival stems it acted emphatically.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans -ies
- -iesNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Ancient Greek -ικός
- -ικός (-ikós)Note: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Arabic ـِيّ
- ـِيّ (-iyy)Note: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Bengali -ইক
- -ইক (-ik)Note: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Catalan -ic, -esc
- -icNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
- -escNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Danish -isk
- -iskNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Dutch -isch
- -ischNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Esperanto -a
- -aNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Finnish -inen
- -inenNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
French -ique
- -iqueNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
German -isch
- -ischNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Greek -ικός
- -ικός (-ikós)Note: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Hindi इक
- इक (ik)Note: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Hungarian -s, -ikus
- -sNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
- -ikusNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Indonesian -is, -ik
- -isNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
- -ikNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Italian -ico
- -icoNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Japanese 的
- 的 (-teki)Note: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Korean 적
- 적 (jeok)Note: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Latin -icus
- -icusNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Malay -ik
- -ikNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Norwegian -isk
- -iskNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Polish -ski
- -skiNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Portuguese -ico
- -icoNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Russian -ский
- -ский (-skij)Note: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Scottish Gaelic -ach, -each
- -achNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
- -eachNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Spanish -ico
- -icoNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Swedish -isk
- -iskNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Welsh -ig
- -igNote: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ic
Cite this entry
APA
-ic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ic
MLA
“-ic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ic. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-ic,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ic.
Source: -ic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.