Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Origin: -ic + -s (translating Greek -ika (plural))

-ics

 suffix
     
-ics [in nouns]
1 the scientific study or use of something:
linguistics (=the study of language)
electronics (=the study or making of electronic equipment)
2 the actions typically done by someone with particular skills:
athletics (=running, jumping, throwing, etc)
acrobatics
3 used to make nouns out of words ending in -ical or -ic:
the acoustics (=sound qualities) of the hall
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary