The suffix -ic means which of the following?

• A. inflammation
• B. record, writing
• C. tumor
• D. pertaining to

Answer: (D)

The suffix -ic forms adjectives that mean pertaining to or related to a certain part or concept. In medical terms, different endings signal different ideas: -itis means inflammation, -graph (or -graphy) means record or writing, -oma means tumor. So -ic is used when describing a relation to something, as in hepatic meaning pertaining to the liver or gastric meaning pertaining to the stomach. This is why the suffix here corresponds to “pertaining to.”