In Latin, the suffix -ics means:

• A. Gravity
• B. Motion
• C. Language
• D. The study of

Answer: (D)

The suffix -ics signals a field of study or science. When it’s added to a root that names a subject, it creates a noun for the study of that subject—for example, optics is the study of light, acoustics the study of sound, linguistics the study of language. The other options describe the subject itself or a concept, not the field of study named by the suffix. So the meaning conveyed by -ics is “the study of.”