-cy
a suffix used to form abstract nouns from adjectives with stems in -t, -te, -tic, and especially -nt (democracy; accuracy; expediency; stagnancy; lunacy), and sometimes used to form action nouns (vacancy; occupancy).
a suffix of nouns denoting rank or office, sometimes attached to the stem of a word rather than to the word itself:
captaincy; magistracy.
-cy
suffix
(forming nouns from adjectives ending in -t, -tic, -te, and -nt) indicating state, quality, or condition plutocracy, lunacy, intimacy, infancy
(forming abstract nouns from other nouns) rank or office captaincy
word origin
via old french from latin -cia, -tia, greek -kia, -tia, abstract noun suffixes
-cy
abstract noun suffix of quality or rank, from l. -cia, -tia, from gk. -kia, -tia, from abstract ending -ia + stem ending -c- or -t-. the native correspondents are -ship, -hood.
Read Also:
- -cyst
variant of cysto-, as final element in a compound word: statocyst. -cyst combining form indicating a bladder or sac otocyst word origin from greek kustis bladder
- -cyte
variant of cyto- as final element in a compound word: leucocyte. -cyte combining form indicating a cell spermatocyte word origin from new latin -cyta, from greek kutos container, body, hollow vessel -cyte suff. cell: leukocyte.
- -dactyl
variant of -dactylous, especially with nouns: pterodactyl.
- -dactylous
a combining form meaning “fingered, possessing fingers,” or “toed, possessing toes,” used to form compound words in which the initial element specifies the type or number of fingers or toes: tridactylous.
- -dactyly
a combination of -dactyl and -y3 , used to form nouns to stems in -dactyl: hyperdactyly.