-ικός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From -κός (-kós) from Proto-Indo-European *-kos, *-ḱos, with an added ι from i-stems such as φυσι-κός (phusi-kós, “natural”), through the same process by which -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs) developed from -της (-tēs), occurring in some original case and later used freely. Cognate with Latin -icus and Proto-Germanic *-ungō, whence Old English -ig (English -y), Old High German -ig, Gothic -𐌴𐌹𐌲𐍃 (-eigs).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /i.kós/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /iˈkos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /iˈkos/
(10^th CE Medieval) IPA^(key): /iˈkos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /iˈkos/

Suffix

-ῐκός • (-ĭkós) m (feminine -ῐκή, neuter -ῐκόν); first/second declension

Added to noun stems to form adjectives: of or pertaining to, in the manner of; -ic

Declension

First and second declension of -ῐκός; -ῐκή; -ῐκόν (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	-ῐκός -ĭkós	-ῐκή -ĭkḗ	-ῐκόν -ĭkón	-ῐκώ -ĭkṓ	-ῐκᾱ́ -ĭkā́	-ῐκώ -ĭkṓ	-ῐκοί -ĭkoí	-ῐκαί -ĭkaí	-ῐκᾰ́ -ĭkắ
Genitive	-ῐκοῦ -ĭkoû	-ῐκῆς -ĭkês	-ῐκοῦ -ĭkoû	-ῐκοῖν -ĭkoîn	-ῐκαῖν -ĭkaîn	-ῐκοῖν -ĭkoîn	-ῐκῶν -ĭkôn	-ῐκῶν -ĭkôn	-ῐκῶν -ĭkôn
Dative	-ῐκῷ -ĭkōî	-ῐκῇ -ĭkēî	-ῐκῷ -ĭkōî	-ῐκοῖν -ĭkoîn	-ῐκαῖν -ĭkaîn	-ῐκοῖν -ĭkoîn	-ῐκοῖς -ĭkoîs	-ῐκαῖς -ĭkaîs	-ῐκοῖς -ĭkoîs
Accusative	-ῐκόν -ĭkón	-ῐκήν -ĭkḗn	-ῐκόν -ĭkón	-ῐκώ -ĭkṓ	-ῐκᾱ́ -ĭkā́	-ῐκώ -ĭkṓ	-ῐκούς -ĭkoús	-ῐκᾱ́ς -ĭkā́s	-ῐκᾰ́ -ĭkắ
Vocative	-ῐκέ -ĭké	-ῐκή -ĭkḗ	-ῐκόν -ĭkón	-ῐκώ -ĭkṓ	-ῐκᾱ́ -ĭkā́	-ῐκώ -ĭkṓ	-ῐκοί -ĭkoí	-ῐκαί -ĭkaí	-ῐκᾰ́ -ĭkắ
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	-ῐκῶς -ĭkôs			-ῐκώτερος -ĭkṓteros			-ῐκώτᾰτος -ĭkṓtătos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

Ancient Greek terms suffixed with -ικός

References

Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920), “Part III: Formation of Words”, in A Greek grammar for colleges, Cambridge: American Book Company, § 858

Greek

Etymology

When denoting origin/properties/collective nouns, inherited from Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós). Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós) under the semantic influence of Latin -icus when used for forming science/art-denoting nouns.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /iˈkos/

Suffix

-ικός • (-ikós), -ική, -ικό or -ικός, -ική/ικιά, -ικό

adjective-forming suffix denoting origin from a country/region/national group:
‎Γαλλία (Gallía, “France”) + ‎-ικός (-ikós) → ‎γαλλικός (gallikós, “French”) (adjective)

‎Κούρδος (Koúrdos, “Kurd”) + ‎-ικός (-ikós) → ‎κουρδικός (kourdikós, “Kurdish”) (adjective)
adjective-forming suffix denoting relation or a specific member of a collective noun:
‎λαός (laós, “people, polulace”) + ‎-ικός (-ikós) → ‎λαϊκός (laïkós, “popular, folk”) (adjective)
adjective-forming suffix denoting a characteristic of an abstract noun:
‎δημοκρατία (dimokratía, “democracy”) + ‎-ικός (-ikós) → ‎δημοκρατικός (dimokratikós, “democratic”) (adjective)
adjective-forming suffix denoting the ability to perform the action of the root verb:
‎δημιουργώ (dimiourgó, “create”) + ‎-ικός (-ikós) → ‎δημιουργικός (dimiourgikós, “creative”) (adjective)
(as f. s. -ική) abstract noun-forming suffix denoting the art/science of the root noun: (formal)
‎γλύπτης (glýptis, “sculptor”) + ‎-ικός (-ikós) → ‎γλυπτική (glyptikí, “sculpture (art)”) (noun)

‎οδοντίατρος (odontíatros, “dentist”) + ‎-ικός (-ikós) → ‎οδοντιατρική (odontiatrikí, “dentistry (science)”) (noun)
(as n. pl. -ικά) abstract noun-forming suffix for languages:
‎Γαλλία (Gallía, “France”) + ‎-ικός (-ikós) → ‎γαλλικά (galliká, “French language”) (noun)
(as n. pl. -ικά) collective noun-forming suffix for classes of objects:
‎γυαλί (gyalí, “glass”) + ‎-ικός (-ikós) → ‎γυαλικά (gyaliká, “glassware”) (noun)

‎λάχανο (láchano, “cabbage”) + ‎-ικός (-ikós) → ‎λαχανικά (lachaniká, “vegetables (collective)”) (noun)
(as n. pl. -ικά) collective noun-forming suffix for classes of ailments:
‎έντερο (éntero, “intestine”) + ‎-ικός (-ikós) → ‎εντερικά (enteriká, “ailments of the intestine”) (noun)

Declension

Declension of -ικός
	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	-ικός (-ikós)	-ική (-ikí) -ικιά (-ikiá)	-ικό (-ikó)	-ικοί (-ikoí)	-ικές (-ikés)	-ικά (-iká)
genitive	-ικού (-ikoú)	-ικής (-ikís) -ικιάς (-ikiás)	-ικού (-ikoú)	-ικών (-ikón)	-ικών (-ikón)	-ικών (-ikón)
accusative	-ικό (-ikó)	-ική (-ikí) -ικιά (-ikiá)	-ικό (-ikó)	-ικούς (-ikoús)	-ικές (-ikés)	-ικά (-iká)
vocative	-ικέ (-iké)	-ική (-ikí) -ικιά (-ikiá)	-ικό (-ikó)	-ικοί (-ikoí)	-ικές (-ikés)	-ικά (-iká)

Notes: Feminine, either -ική, or -ική & -ικιά for some adjectives.