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sic
1or sick
[ sik ]
/ sɪk /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
verb (used with object), sicced or sicked [sikt], /sɪkt/, sic·cing or sick·ing.
to attack (used especially in commanding a dog): Sic 'em!
to incite to attack (usually followed by on).
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ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?
We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Question 1 of 8
Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?
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Origin of sic
1First recorded in 1835–45; variant of seek
Words nearby sic
Sibuyan Sea, sibyl, Sibylla, sibylline, Sibylline Books, sic, Sica, Sicanian, sicca complex, siccant, siccar
Other definitions for sic (2 of 5)
sic2
[ sik ]
/ sɪk /
adjective Chiefly Scot.
such.
Origin of sic
2First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English (north and Scots); see such
Other definitions for sic (3 of 5)
sic3
[ seek; English sik ]
/ sik; English sɪk /
adverb Latin.
Origin of sic
3First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin sīc
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sic
sic , sickOther definitions for sic (4 of 5)
SIC
U.S. Government.
Standard Industrial Classification: a system used by the federal government to classify business activities for analytical and reporting purposes.
Other definitions for sic (5 of 5)
Sic.
abbreviation
Sicilian.
Sicily.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use sic in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for sic (1 of 3)
sic1
/ (sɪk) /
adverb
so or thus: inserted in brackets in a written or printed text to indicate that an odd or questionable reading is what was actually written or printed
Word Origin for sic
Latin
British Dictionary definitions for sic (2 of 3)
sic2
/ (sɪk) /
verb sics, sicking or sicked (tr)
to turn on or attack: used only in commands, as to a dog
to urge (a dog) to attack
Word Origin for sic
C19: dialect variant of seek
British Dictionary definitions for sic (3 of 3)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for sic
sic
A Latin word for “thus,” used to indicate that an apparent error is part of quoted material and not an editorial mistake: “The learned geographer asserts that ‘the capital of the United States is Washingtown [sic].’”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.