Definitions
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- A suffix signifying, in general,
relating to , orcharacteristic of - (Chem.) A suffix, denoting that the element indicated enters into certain compounds with its
highest valence , or with a valence relatively higher than in compounds where the name of the element ends in -ous . It is also used in the general sense ofpertaining to .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- suffix Used to form adjectives from nouns with the meaning "of or pertaining to";
- suffix chemistry Used to denote certain
chemical compounds in which a specifiedchemical element has a higheroxidation number than in the equivalent compound whose name ends in the suffix-ous . For examplesulphuric acid (H 2SO4) has more oxygen atoms per molecule thansulphurous acid (H2SO3).
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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 -ικος (-ikos), Sanskrit श (-śas), क (-kas) and Old Church Slavonic -ъkъ (ŭkŭ).
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Examples
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The name tags had been specially prepared: a blank space for your name on the first line, the printed words A Person With on the second, and on the bottom line you were supposed to print the name of your phobia, using the -ia suffix, not the -ic.
Fear Itself Jonathan Nasaw 2003
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