-cy / -acy
state, quality, office
Greek · -kratia; -cia, -tia
Forms nouns naming a state, quality, or office: private becomes privacy, accurate becomes accuracy. In democracy and aristocracy, -cy comes from Greek kratia, meaning rule.
Memory trick
-cy is a "sea" of states: fluency flows, privacy stays hidden, urgency rushes.
Words from this root
- democracy (democra + cy) — government by the peopleलोकतंत्र
- aristocracy (aristocra + cy) — rule by the noble classकुलीनतंत्र
- bureaucracy (bureaucra + cy) — rule by officialsनौकरशाही
- privacy (priva + cy) — state of being privateनिजता
- accuracy (accura + cy) — state of being correctसटीकता
- literacy (litera + cy) — ability to read and writeसाक्षरता
- fluency (fluen + cy) — smooth ease of speakingधाराप्रवाहता
- urgency (urgen + cy) — need for quick actionतात्कालिकता
- agency (agen + cy) — an office that serves othersएजेंसी, संस्था
- currency (curren + cy) — money used in a countryमुद्रा
- emergency (emergen + cy) — sudden serious situationआपातकाल
- tendency (tenden + cy) — a leaning toward somethingप्रवृत्ति