-ics /ɪks/ AmE suffix [in nouns]
[ Origin: -ic + -s (translating Greek -ika (plural)) ]
1 . the scientific study or use of something:
linguistics (=the study of language)
electronics (=the study or making of electronic equipment)
2 . the actions typically done by someone with particular skills:
athletics (=running, jumping, throwing, etc)
acrobatics
3 . used to make nouns out of words ending in ↑ -ical or ↑ -ic :
the acoustics (=sound qualities) of the hall