-iccio

Italian

Etymology

Inherited from Latin -īcius. Doublet of -izio, which was borrowed.

Suffix

-iccio (adjective-forming suffix, feminine -iccia, masculine plural -icci, feminine plural -icce)
-iccio m (noun-forming suffix, plural -icci)

  1. a slightly diminutive-pejorative suffix used to form adjectives and nouns, denoting approximation
    ‎malato (“sick”) + ‎-iccio → ‎malaticcio (“sickly”)
    ‎bruno (“brown”) + ‎-iccio → ‎bruniccio (“dull brown”)
  2. (no longer productive, rare) forms relational adjectives
    ‎massa + ‎-iccio → ‎massiccio (“massive, solid”)
    ‎fatto + ‎-iccio → ‎fatticcio (“big, strong, robust (rare)”)
  3. attaches to past participles to form adjectives meaning “-able”, “prone to”, “characterized by”, or similar; sometimes forms nouns
    ‎appiccato + ‎-iccio → ‎appiccaticcio
    ‎levato + ‎-iccio → ‎levaticcio

Derived terms

Italian terms suffixed with -iccio
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