-ица

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ica"

Bulgarian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-ih₂

Proto-Balto-Slavic *-kas

Proto-Slavic *-ica

Old Church Slavonic -ица (-ica)

Bulgarian -ица

Inherited from Old Church Slavonic -ица (-ica), from Proto-Slavic *-ica.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [-it͡sɐ]
IPA^(key): [-ˈit͡sɐ]
Syllabification^(key): -и‧ца
Often takes the stress of the resulting compound.

Suffix

-ица • (-ica)

Suffix appended to words to create a feminine noun.
‎крал m (kral, “king”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎крали́ца f (kralíca, “queen”)

‎ляв (ljav, “left”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎леви́ца f (levíca, “political left; left hand”)

‎кмет m (kmet, “(male) mayor”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎кмети́ца f (kmetíca, “mayoress”)
Suffix appended to words to create a feminine noun to form a diminutive or as an expression of endearment.
‎вода́ f (vodá, “water”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎води́ца f (vodíca)

‎река́ f (reká, “water”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎реки́ца f (rekíca)
female equivalent of -ик (-ik)

Derived terms

Bulgarian terms suffixed with -ица

Macedonian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-ica.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈit͡sa]

Suffix

-ица • (-ica)

Suffix appended to words to create a feminine noun.
‎крал m (kral, “king”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎кралица f (kralica, “queen”)

‎лев (lev, “left”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎левица f (levica, “political left; left hand”)
Suffix appended to words to create a feminine noun to form a diminutive or as an expression of endearment.
‎вода f (voda, “water”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎водица f (vodica)

‎ракија f (rakija, “water”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎ракиица f (rakiica)

Derived terms

Old Church Slavonic

Alternative forms

-ⰻⱌⰰ (-ica) — Glagolitic

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *-ica.

Suffix

-ица • (-ica) f

female equivalent of -икъ (-ikŭ)
‎лисъ (lisŭ, “fox”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎лисица (lisica, “vixen”)

‎дѣвица (děvica, “girl, maiden, virgin”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎дѣвица (děvica, “girl, maiden, virgin”)

Declension

Declension of -ица (soft a-stem)
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	-ица -ica	-ици -ici	-ицѧ -icę
genitive	-ицѧ -icę	-ицоу -icu	-иць -icĭ
dative	-ици -ici	-ицама -icama	-ицамъ -icamŭ
accusative	-ицѫ -icǫ	-ици -ici	-ицѧ -icę
instrumental	-ицеѭ -icejǫ	-ицама -icama	-ицами -icami
locative	-ици -ici	-ицоу -icu	-ицахъ -icaxŭ
vocative	-ице -ice	-ици -ici	-ицѧ -icę

Derived terms

Old Church Slavonic terms suffixed with -ица

Related terms

-ьница (-ĭnica)
-икъ (-ikŭ)
-ьникъ (-ĭnikŭ)

Russian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-ica.

Pronunciation

-ица: IPA^(key): [ʲɪt͡sə]
-и́ца: IPA^(key): [ˈʲit͡sə]

Suffix

-ица or -и́ца • (-ica or -íca)

female equivalent of -ик (-ik)
‎лу́чн(ик) (lúčn(ik), “archer”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎лу́чница (lúčnica, “female archer”)

‎грибн(и́к) (gribn(ík), “mushroomer”) + ‎-и́ца (-íca) → ‎грибни́ца (gribníca, “female mushroomer”)
female equivalent of -ец (-ec)
‎краса́в(ец) (krasáv(ec), “handsome man”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎краса́вица (krasávica, “beautiful woman”)
forms diminutives of generally feminine nouns
‎ро́жа (róža, “ugly mug, face (pejorative)”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎ро́жица (róžica, “face (endearing)”)

‎ро́ща (róšča, “copse, grove”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎ро́щица (róščica, “small copse, small grove”)

‎вода́ (vodá, “water”) + ‎-и́ца (-íca) → ‎води́ца (vodíca, “water (endearing)”)

‎мете́ль (metélʹ, “blizzard, snowstorm”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎мете́лица (metélica, “blizzard, snowstorm (poetic; diminutive or endearing)”)

‎тряпьё (trjapʹjó, “rags”) + ‎-и́ца (-íca) → ‎тряпи́ца (trjapíca, “small rag (colloquial)”)
forms abstract nouns from adjectives
‎ра́зный (ráznyj, “different”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎ра́зница (ráznica, “difference”)

‎еди́ный (jedínyj, “united, unified; one, single”) + ‎-и́ца (-íca) → ‎едини́ца (jediníca, “unit; unity (mathematics); number one (bus, tram, etc.)”)
forms writing system names from nouns and adjectives
‎Кири́лл (Kiríll, “St. Cyril”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎кири́ллица (kiríllica, “Cyrillic script”)

‎ара́бский (arábskij, “Arabic”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎ара́бица (arábica, “Arabic script”)
forms abstract nouns from prefixes + nouns
‎без- (bez-, “without”) + ‎рабо́та (rabóta, “work”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎безрабо́тица (bezrabótica, “unemployment”)

‎пере- (pere-, “re-”) + ‎сорт (sort, “grade”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎пересо́ртица (peresórtica, “regrading (of goods)”)

‎рас- (ras-, “away”) + ‎путь (putʹ, “road”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎распу́тица (raspútica, “season of impassable roads”)
forms nouns referring to plants, animals, tools or other objects from nouns and adjectives
‎мо́крый (mókryj, “wet”) + ‎-и́ца (-íca) → ‎мокри́ца (mokríca, “woodlouse, sowbug”)

‎у́гольный (úgolʹnyj, “coal (relational)”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎у́гольница (úgolʹnica, “firepan”)

‎я́года (jágoda, “berry”) + ‎-ица (-ica) → ‎я́годица (jágodica, “buttock; (dialectal) cheekbone; (dialectal) nipple”) (from the round shape of the berry)

Declension

Declension of -ица, -и́ца (bian fem-form ц-stem accent-a)

		singular	plural
nominative		-ица, -и́ца -ica, -íca	-ицы, -и́цы -icy, -ícy
genitive		-ицы, -и́цы -icy, -ícy	-иц, -и́ц -ic, -íc
dative		-ице, -и́це -ice, -íce	-ицам, -и́цам -icam, -ícam
accusative	animate	-ицу, -и́цу -icu, -ícu	-иц, -и́ц -ic, -íc
accusative	inanimate	-ицу, -и́цу -icu, -ícu	-ицы, -и́цы -icy, -ícy
instrumental		-ицей, -ицею, -и́цей, -и́цею -icej, -iceju, -ícej, -íceju	-ицами, -и́цами -icami, -ícami
prepositional		-ице, -и́це -ice, -íce	-ицах, -и́цах -icax, -ícax

Derived terms

Russian terms suffixed with -ица

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-ica.

Suffix

-ица (Latin spelling -ica)

Suffix appended to words to create a feminine noun, commonly used for forming diminutives.
Suffix appended to words to create a masculine or feminine noun, usually a pejorative.
female equivalent of -ик