ICS

¹ American  

1. International College of Surgeons.

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-ics ² American  

1. a suffix of nouns that denote a body of facts, knowledge, principles, etc., usually corresponding to adjectives ending in -ic or -ical: ethics; physics; politics; tactics .

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-ics ¹ British  

suffix

1. indicating a science, art, or matters relating to a particular subject

   aeronautics

   politics

2. indicating certain activities or practices

   acrobatics

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ICS ² British  

abbreviation

1. Indian Civil Service

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Grammar

Nouns ending in -ics that name fields of study, sciences, arts, professions, or the like are usually not preceded by an article and are used with a singular verb: Acoustics (the science) deals with sound. Politics (the art of government) fascinates me. In certain uses, often when preceded by a determiner like the, his, her, or their, most of these nouns can take a plural verb: The acoustics (the sound-reflecting qualities) of the hall are splendid. Their politics (political opinions) have antagonized everyone.

Etymology

Origin of -ics

Plural of -ic, representing Latin -ica (< Greek -ika, neuter plural of -ikos ), as in rhētórica (plural) rhetoric book

Example Sentences

The screening data was included in a report on women’s health across the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICS, that focussed on work to establish women’s health hubs.

From BBC

Company accounts show ICS turnover increased by 46% in 2021-2022, to nearly £400m.

From BBC

"We believe that our official Anthropocene Working Group has been disbanded by ICS, though again they have not felt it of importance to notify us of this," Waters said.

From Salon

"We believe that our official Anthropocene Working Group has been disbanded by ICS, though again they have not felt it of importance to notify us of this."

From Salon

ICS has long instituted this mandatory cooling-off period, given how furious debates can turn, for example, over the boundary between the Pliocene and Pleistocene, and whether the Quaternary—our current geologic period, a category above epochs—should exist at all.

From Science Magazine