ICS

¹ American  

1. International College of Surgeons.

---

-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 .

---

-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

---

ICS ² British  

abbreviation

1. Indian Civil Service

---

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 professors found that a 1-percentage-point increase in January’s ICS is correlated with a 2.4% higher stock-market return over the subsequent 11 months.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 3, 2026

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

From BBC • May 8, 2024

"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 • Apr. 14, 2024

For years, the ICS has fretted about provoking negative publicity if it rejects the Anthropocene proposal.

From Science Magazine • May 5, 2022

The main stratigraphic unit is a formation, which according to the ICS, should be established with the following principles in mind:

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015