-ac

suffix forming adjectives which are often also (or only) used as nouns (cardiac; maniac) (see also -ACAL).
Etymology: F -aque or L -acus or Gk -akos adj. suffix

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\\ˌak, in a few words ik or ək\ noun suffix (-s)

Etymology: Greek -akos of or relating to, variant of -ikos -ic (I) after noun stems ending in i

: one affected with

hemophiliac

nostalgiac

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var. of -ic after Greek noun stems ending in i: cardiac; maniac.

[ < L -acus < Gk -akos]

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suffix forming adjectives that are also often (or only) used as nouns, such as maniac. Compare with -acal

Origin:

from Greek -akos via Latin -acus or French -aque

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-ac, suffix

formerly -aque, -ak(e, -ack, primarily adj., whence also n. formative, repr. Gr. -ᾰκός, -ᾰκή, -ᾰκόν, the form of the adj. suffix -κός, in comb. w. n. in -ια, -ιος, -ιον, as καρδιακ-ός cardiac, of the heart, ἡλιακ-ός heliac, of the sun, δαιµονιακ-ός demoniac, belonging to a demon. Some of these were adopted in L. as cardiăc-us, dæmoniăc-us, elegīăc-us, aphrodīsiăc-us, on the model of which others as maniac-us, iliac-us have been formed in med. or mod.L. Thence they have been adopted in Fr. as learned words in -aque, partly from which, as in demoniac, partly from L. or Gr. they have been adopted in Eng. e.g. ammoniac, aphrodisiac, cardiac, celiac, elegiac, demoniac, hypochondriac, iliac, maniac, prosodiac, zodiac. See also -acal.