-ic

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

-ic, suffix. 

1. -ic is attached to nouns to form adjectives with the meaning "of or relating to:''
   metal + -ic → metallic;
   poet + -ic → poetic.
   This suffix is also attached to nouns to form adjectives with the meaning "having some characteristics of;
   in the style of:'' ballet + -ic → balletic;
   sophomore + -ic → sophomoric;
   
   Byron + -ic → Byronic (= in the style of Byron).

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

-ic, 

1. a suffix forming adjectives from other parts of speech, occurring originally in Greek and Latin loanwords (metallic;
   poetic;
   archaic;
   public) and, on this model, used as an adjective-forming suffix with the particular senses "having some characteristics of '' (opposed to the simple attributive use of the base noun) (balletic;
   sophomoric);
   "in the style of '' (Byronic;
   Miltonic);
   "pertaining to a family of peoples or languages'' (Finnic;
   Semitic;
   Turkic).
2. [Chem.] a suffix, specialized in opposition to -ous, used to show the higher of two valences:
   ferric chloride.
3. a noun suffix occurring chiefly in loanwords from Greek, where such words were originally adjectival (critic;
   magic;
   music).
• Latin -icus
• French
• Latin -icus; in many words representing the cognate Greek -ikos (directly or through Latin); in some words replacing -ique
• Middle English -ic, -ik

IC, 

1. Grammar pl. ICs. See immediate constituent. 
2. Electronics integrated circuit.
3. intensive care.

I.C., 

1. Religion Jesus Christ.

• Latin I(ēsus) C(hrīstus)

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

-ic suffix:forming_adjectives

1. of, relating to, or resembling: allergic, Germanic, periodic
   See also -ical
2. (in chemistry) indicating that an element is chemically combined in the higher of two possible valence states: ferric, stannic
   Compare -ous2

Etymology: from Latin -icus or Greek -ikos; -ic also occurs in nouns that represent a substantive use of adjectives (magic) and in nouns borrowed directly from Latin or Greek (critic, music)