-ical

1. a combination of -ic and -al ¹, used in forming adjectives from nouns ( rhetorical ), providing synonyms to words ending in -ic ( poetical ), and providing an adjective with additional meanings to those in the -ic form ( economical ).

-ical

suffix forming adjectives

1. a variant of -ic

   fanatical

   economical

Derived Forms

• -ically, suffix:forming_adverbs

Word History and Origins

Origin of -ical¹

Middle English < Latin -icālis. See -ic, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of -ical¹

from Latin -icālis