-ice

(Latin: a suffix that forms nouns; meaning, quality of, state of)

accomplice (s) (noun), accomplices (pl)
1. An associate in wrongdoing; especially, someone who helps or encourages another person in a criminal act, either as a principal participant or as an accessory: The internet accomplices were very clever and quick to fool the football player into believing that a girl had fallen in love with him.
2. Etymology: from Late Latin complex, complic, "allied"; from com- "together" + the root of plicare, "to fold".
Associated with wrong doing.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

apprentice (s) (noun), apprentices (pl)
1. Someone who is bound by a legal agreement to serve another person for a fixed period of time in order to learn a trade or a business: The apprentice of the silversmith had signed a four-year agreement to work and to learn how to develop skills in making articles out of silver as a professional craftsman.
2. Any learner or beginner: Sam's pet was an apprentice that was learning to be a "seeing-eye dog" for his blind daughter.
3. Etymology: from Old French aprentiz, "someone learning", from aprendre, (Modern French apprendre) "to learn, to teach"; contracted from Latin apprehendere, "to take hold of, to grasp"; from ad-, "to" + prehendere, "to seize".
Someone who is learning a trade or a profession.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

armistice (s) (noun), armistices (pl)
1. A formal agreement to temporarily end military fighting by mutual consent; a truce: For the holiday the opponents decided on an armistice and both sides wanted peace talks in hopes of ending the conflict.
2. Etymology: from French armistice, coined on the model of Latin solstitium, from Latin arma, "arms" + -stitium which is from Latin sistere, "to cause to stand, to come to a stop, to make stand still".
artifice (s) (noun), artifices (pl)
1. An artful or crafty device; a stratagem: The artifice used by the salesman was intended to trick and to ensnare other people into buying his products.
2. A subtle but base deception; trickery: Ben's story was just an artifice to win sympathy from his colleagues.
3. Cleverness or skill; ingenuity: People need artifices to get others to participate in certain activities or to do something.
4. Etymology: borrowed from Old French meaning "craftsmanship"; from Latin artificium, "trade, craft"; from artifex, "craftsman".

A compound construction from ar(t)s, "art, craft" +-fex, fic-, "maker" from facere, "to make".

A cunning crafty device to achieve one's objective.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Skillful and conniving trickery and guile.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

avarice (s) (noun) (no plural form)
1. An insatiable greed for riches or a miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth: There are some people who are convinced that the corporate world consists of people who have a strong urge for avarice and power.
2. An excessive desire for gain; greediness after wealth; covetousness; cupidity: Paul's avarice apparently led him into unethical business deals.
3. Etymology: via French from Latin avaritia, "greedy"; from avere, "to desire".
A strong desire to gain wealth.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
for a list of additional Mickey Bach illustrations.

benefice (s) (noun), benefices (pl)
An ecclesiastical term referring to the paid position for a member of the clergy attached to a church, typically by way of an endowment to the church: Fredrick studied hard at the theological institute hoping to receive a benefice at the church where he grew up.
dentifrice
A powder or other preparation for rubbing or cleansing the teeth; a tooth-powder or tooth-paste; also applied to liquid preparations.
edifice (s) (noun), edifices (pl)
1. A building, especially one of imposing appearance or size.
2. An elaborate conceptual structure or concept on which to build a theory or process.
3. Any large, complex system, or organization.
4. A system which has been established for a long time: "It looks as if the whole political edifice of our country is about to collapse."
fellatrice
hospice
injustice (s) (noun), injustices (pl)
1. Violation of another's rights or of what is right; lack of justice.
2. A specific unjust act; a wrong.
3. A violation of a person's rights; unfair treatment of another person or other people.
4. An unjust or unfair act; wrong.
interstice (s) (noun), interstices (pl)
1. A very narrow crevice or space between parts or things: Jane left an interstice between the shades in her bedroom in order to enjoy the sunshine peeking though.
2. A short gap of time between activities: Mrs. Robinson used the interstices of her breaks at her desk to call up her daughter.
malpractice (s) (noun), malpractices (pl)
1. An improper treatment or a culpable neglect of a patient by a physician: The surviving kin of Marcus charged the doctor with malpractice because they were convinced that their relative had died because of an improper diagnosis.
2. Illegal action by which a person seeks to benefit himself or herself at the cost of others while in a position of trust: The international organization which was investigating allegations of rigged elections concluded there had been a series of malpractices which invalidated the results of the election.
A profession that performs illegal or wrong actions.
© ALL rights are reserved.

The wrong conduct or misbehavior of any professional person or organization.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

orifice
1. An aperture, or hole, opening into a bodily cavity.
2. The entrance, or outlet, of any body cavity.
3. An opening, especially the mouth, anus, vagina, or other opening into a cavity or passage in the body.
precipice (s) (noun), precipices (pl)
1. An overhanging or extremely steep mass of rock, such as a crag or the face of a cliff: The hikers drew back carefully from the precipice, moving towards safety.
2. The brink of a dangerous or disastrous situation: The school team was on the precipice of defeat.

Before he found out the results of his final examinations, Samuel felt as though he were at the edge of a precipice.
3. Etymology: from "fall to great depth"; from French précipice, from Latin præcipitium, "a steep place"; literally, "a fall" or "leap"; from præceps, præcipitis, "steep, headlong, headfirst"; from prae-, "in front" + caput, "head".

The meaning of "steep face of rock" is recorded from 1632.