*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -ric

From Northern Middle English -rike (Southern -riche), from Old English -rīċe (“-ric”), from rīċe (“realm, domain, jurisdiction”), from Proto-Germanic *rīkiją (“realm, power”). Cognate with Dutch -rijk, German -reich.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

A termination denoting jurisdiction, or a district over which government is exercised.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Northern Middle English -rike (Southern -riche), from Old English -rīċe (“-ric”), from rīċe (“realm, domain, jurisdiction”), from Proto-Germanic *rīkiją (“realm, power”). Cognate with Dutch -rijk, German -reich.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mention-rīċeang · -ric
  • Inherited-form mention*rīkijągem-pro · realm, power
  • Cognate mention-rijknl
  • Cognate mention-reichde
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm-nor",
        "3": "-rike"
      },
      "expansion": "Northern Middle English -rike"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "-rīċe",
        "t": "-ric"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English -rīċe (“-ric”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*rīkiją",
        "t": "realm, power"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *rīkiją (“realm, power”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "-rijk"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch -rijk"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "-reich"
      },
      "expansion": "German -reich"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-rike",
      "-rike#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-riche",
      "-riche#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-rīċe",
      "-rice#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "rīċe",
      "rice#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*rīkiją",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rīkiją"
    ],
    [
      "-rijk",
      "-rijk#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "-reich",
      "-reich#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "A termination denoting jurisdiction, or a district over which government is exercised."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "b3fc51670fb231097d13edf317b78dfdf01542cf17177dcff271df4e3b771092",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ac96a8a6682b9851136f03250110e73654d745621f883bb524eea13c0a3a6aac",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 212674
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -ric →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LXJpYw