ífico

Ífico is a derivational suffix used in several Romance languages to form adjectives (and sometimes nouns) that convey the idea of pertaining to, having the quality of, or producing the root concept. It comes from the Latin suffix -ificus, itself linked to facere, “to make.” In modern orthography, the suffix appears with language-specific spellings and accents (for example, -ífico in Spanish and Portuguese, and -ifico in Italian).

In Spanish, -ífico (masculine singular) or -ífica (feminine singular) attaches to stems to yield adjectives such as pacífico (peaceful, and the Pacific as a proper noun), científico (scientific or scientist), magnífico (magnificent), and horrífico (horrific). The plural forms are -íficos and -íficas. The accent marks the stressed syllable in many words.

In Portuguese, the same suffix is used as -ífico (with the feminine -ífica) in words like pacífico, científico, magnífico, and horrífico, maintaining the same meanings as in Spanish. In Italian, the corresponding form is -ifico (masculine) or -ifica (feminine), as in pacifico, scientifico, magnifico, and terrifico, with similar senses.

Notes: -ífico is a productive morphological element across Romance languages but does not function as a standalone word. It also appears in place names and technical terms, and its precise pronunciation and accentuation vary by language.