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-ic,
suffix added to nouns to form adjectives.
1. of or having to do with _____: »
Atmospheric = of or having to do with the atmosphere. Icelandic = of Iceland.
2. having the nature of _____: »
Heroic = having the nature of a hero.
3. constituting or being _____: »
Bombastic = constituting or being bombast.
4. containing _____; made up of _____: »
Alcoholic = containing alcohol.
5. made by _____; caused by _____: »
Volcanic = made by a volcano.
6. like _____; like that of _____; characteristic of _____: »
Meteoric = like a meteor.
7. an art or system of thought, as in stoic, logic, music.
8. Chemistry. indicating the presence of an element in a compound or ion that is of a higher valence than indicated by the suffix -ous, as in boric, chloric, ferric, sulfuric.
╂[< French -ique < Latin -icus < Greek -ikós]
Usage Many words ending in -ic have two or more of meanings 1 to 6.
i/c (no periods),
in charge (of): »
officer i/c distribution.
IC (no periods),
1. immediate constituent.
2. integrated circuit: »
An IC is a circuit consisting of up to 20 transistors and diodes on a microscopic chip of silicon (Robert E. Stoffels).
3. internal combustion.
I.C.,
Jesus Christ (Latin, Iesus Christus).
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abbr.
■ integrated circuit
■ intensive care
■ internal combustion
the IC engine
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icobs. form of I, pron.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.