-ific

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der.

Proto-Italic *θakos

Proto-Italic *-fakos

Latin -(i)ficuslbor.

English -ific

Learned borrowing from Latin -(i)ficus. By surface analysis, -ify + -ic.

Pronunciation

• enPR: -ĭf′ĭk; IPA^(key): (weak vowel distinction) /ˈɪf.ɪk/, (weak vowel merger) /ˈɪf.ək/
• (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada, Australia, Scotland) IPA^(key): /-ˈɪf.ɪk/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /-ˈəf.ək/
• Rhymes: -ɪfɪk
• Hyphenation: -if‧ic

Suffix

-ific (adjective-forming suffix, comparative more -ific, superlative most -ific)

1. Creating or causing something.

   ‎horror + ‎-ific → ‎horrific (“causing horror”)

2. (informal) Very; extremely; forming adjectives from nouns.

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -ific

ascientific

aurific

autospecific

carbonific

chylific

colorific

colourific

glorific

hipsterific

honorific

honourific

Imeldific

lapidific

optimific

pseudoscientific

pulsific

rabific

scientific

sebific

somnific

soporific

specific

spoilerific

spumific

sudorific

swaggerific

torporific

vaporific