-icus

See also: Icus and ICUs

Dutch

Etymology

Pronunciation

Audio: (file)

Suffix

-icus m (noun-forming suffix, plural -ici, diminutive -icusje n (although most such words have no diminutive), female equivalent -ica)

-ist, -ian, -ician (person skilled in a given field)
‎historie (“history”) + ‎-icus → ‎historicus (“historian”)

‎Neerland (“Netherlands”) + ‎-icus → ‎neerlandicus (“expert in or student of Dutch studies”)

‎Nieuwe Testament (“New Testament”) + ‎-icus → ‎nieuwtestamenticus (“New Testament scholar”)
-ic, -ac (person suffering from a specified condition)
‎paranoia (“paranoia”) + ‎-icus → ‎paranoïcus (“paranoiac”)

‎diabetes (“diabetes”) + ‎-icus → ‎diabeticus (“diabetic person”)

Usage notes

Many such words were borrowed whole from Latin.

Derived terms

Dutch terms suffixed with -icus

Latin

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *-kos

Proto-Indo-European *-ikos

Proto-Italic *-ikos

Latin -icus

Inherited from Proto-Italic *-ikos. Cognate with Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós), Proto-Germanic *-igaz (Old High German and Old English -ig, Gothic -𐌴𐌹𐌲𐍃 (-eigs)), Sanskrit -इक (-ika), Proto-Slavic *-ьcь.

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ɪ.kʊs]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [i.kus] (stressed on the antepenult)

Suffix

-icus (feminine -ica, neuter -icum); first/second-declension suffix

(forming adjectives) of or pertaining to; belonging to; derived from; connected with: -ic, -ish
‎cīvis (“citizen”) + ‎-icus → ‎cīvicus (“civic; pertaining to citizens”)

‎Gallus (“a Gaul; Gallic”) + ‎-icus → ‎gallicus (“of or pertaining to Gaul or the Gauls; Gallic, Gaulish”)

‎bellum (“war”) + ‎-icus → ‎bellicus (“of war; military; warlike”)

‎taxus (“yew tree”) + ‎-icus → ‎taxicus (“of or derived from the yew tree”)

‎imber (“rain”) + ‎-icus → ‎imbricus (“rainy; rain-bringing”)

‎metallum (“metal”) + ‎-icus → ‎metallicus (“of metal; metallic”)

‎ūnus (“one”) + ‎-icus → ‎ūnicus (“single, unique”)
used to form some substantivized nouns from other nouns
‎manus f (“hand”) + ‎-ica → ‎manica (“sleeve”)

Usage notes

The suffix -icus is often added to nouns, sometimes adjectives, rarely to verbs (as in medeor > medicus). It is commonly attached to ethnonyms (names of nations, tribes or peoples) such as italus (“Italian; an Italian”). Latin has a number of words ending in -icus that were not formed in Latin, but were borrowed from Greek words in -ικός (-ikós): e.g. tragicus from τραγικός (tragikós).

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
	singular			plural
nominative	-icus	-ica	-icum	-icī	-icae	-ica
genitive	-icī	-icae	-icī	-icōrum	-icārum	-icōrum
dative	-icō	-icae	-icō	-icīs
accusative	-icum	-icam	-icum	-icōs	-icās	-ica
ablative	-icō	-icā	-icō	-icīs
vocative	-ice	-ica	-icum	-icī	-icae	-ica

Synonyms

-ānus, -ēnsis

Derived terms

-ticus
- -āticus

Latin terms suffixed with -icus

Reconstruction:Latin/domnicella

Reconstruction:Latin/domnicellus

Eleaticus

Reconstruction:Latin/granica

Descendants

Aromanian: -ic
→ Afrikaans: -ies
Asturian: -icu
Catalan: -ic
→ Dutch: -icus
→ English: -ic, -ick (obsolete)
→ French: -ique
Galician: -ico
→ Hungarian: -ikus
Italian: -ico
→ Portuguese: -ico, -igo
Portuguese: -ego
Romanian: -ec, -ic
Sicilian: -icu
→ Spanish: -ico
Spanish: -ego
Venetan: -ego

Etymology 2

Probably ultimately extended from Proto-Indo-European *-kos, *-ḱos (Etymology 1), the -ī- may come from an instrumental case form.^[1] Compare -ūcus and also, -ītus. Compare also other words containing a velar suffix such as fēlīx.

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [iː.kʊs]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [i.kus]

Suffix

(noun) -īcus m (genitive -īcī, feminine -īca); second declension
(adjective) -īcus (feminine -īca, neuter -īcum); first/second-declension suffix

used to form certain nouns and adjectives from adverbs, verbs and nouns.
‎amō (“to love”, verb) + ‎-īcus → ‎amīcus (“friend(ly)”)

‎pudeō (“to cause shame”, verb) + ‎-īcus → ‎pudīcus (“chaste, pure”)

‎lectus (“bed”, noun) + ‎-īca → ‎lectīca (“litter”)

‎post (“after, behind”, adverb) + ‎-īcus → ‎postīcus (“back, rear”)

Declension

Noun forms

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	-īcus	-īcī
genitive	-īcī	-īcōrum
dative	-īcō	-īcīs
accusative	-īcum	-īcōs
ablative	-īcō	-īcīs
vocative	-īce	-īcī

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	-īca	-īcae
genitive	-īcae	-īcārum
dative	-īcae	-īcīs
accusative	-īcam	-īcās
ablative	-īcā	-īcīs
vocative	-īca	-īcae

Adjective forms

First/second-declension adjective.

	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
	singular			plural
nominative	-īcus	-īca	-īcum	-īcī	-īcae	-īca
genitive	-īcī	-īcae	-īcī	-īcōrum	-īcārum	-īcōrum
dative	-īcō	-īcae	-īcō	-īcīs
accusative	-īcum	-īcam	-īcum	-īcōs	-īcās	-īca
ablative	-īcō	-īcā	-īcō	-īcīs
vocative	-īce	-īca	-īcum	-īcī	-īcae	-īca

Derived terms

Latin terms suffixed with -icus (long)

References

^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “amō”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 39

[1] De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “amō”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 39

[1]