DictionaryRoot: -ic
English
-ic
connected with or characteristic of
Forms
- -ic
Origin
Through French and Latin -icus from Greek -ikos.
Note
It can indicate a field, a material, a resemblance, or a tendency; it has no single literal meaning in every word.
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adjective
exothermic
eks-oh-THUR-mik/ˌeksəʊˈθɜːrmɪk/
Releasing heat during a chemical reaction or physical process.
Etymology
“Outside” and “heat” describe heat passing out of a process into its surroundings. The word therefore identifies a release of heat, not simply a process that is hot.
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