-ician
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From French -icien, from -ique f sg + -ien. By surface analysis, -ic + -ian.
Pronunciation[edit]
Suffix[edit]
-ician
- forming nouns denoting occupations:
- A person who studies or is an expert in the related -ics.
- obstetrics + -ician → obstetrician
- phonetics + -ician → phonetician
- A person who studies or is an expert in the related -ics.
Usage notes[edit]
- Relatively few terms are directly derived using this suffix. Terms ending in -ician were often derived from Middle French words ending in -icien, which themselves were derived from words ending in -ique f sg + -ien, e.g.:
- mathematician, from Middle French mathematicien, itself from mathematique f sg (“mathematics”) + -ien
- practician, from Middle French practicien, itself from practique f sg (“practice”) + -ien.