IC
Abbreviation with 6 meanings
| Stands for | Integrated circuit |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 6 |
| Categories | Science & Engineering, Government & Politics, Medical, Business & Finance, Texting & Internet Slang |
IC has six meanings. The most common are Integrated circuit (electronics & electrical) and Incident commander (emergency services); it can also stand for Interstitial cystitis, Individual contributor, I see and In character.
Meanings of IC at a glance
| # | IC stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Integrated circuit | Science & Engineering › Electronics & Electrical |
| 2 | Incident commander | Government & Politics › Emergency Services |
| 3 | Interstitial cystitis | Medical › Nephrology & Urology |
| 4 | Individual contributor | Business & Finance › Human Resources |
| 5 | I see | Texting & Internet Slang › Texting and Chat |
| 6 | In character | Texting & Internet Slang › Fandom and Fan Fiction |
1. Integrated circuit
Science & Engineering · Electronics & Electrical Abbreviations
Complete electronic circuit, with transistors, resistors and their connections, fabricated on a single small piece of semiconductor, usually silicon, and sealed in a package. ICs, or chips, range from simple logic gates to processors containing tens of billions of transistors.
Example: Replace the burned-out IC on the amplifier board with an equivalent op-amp in the same package.
Jack Kilby demonstrated the first integrated circuit at Texas Instruments on September 12, 1958, and Robert Noyce at Fairchild Semiconductor developed the practical silicon planar version in 1959; Kilby received the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics. Gordon Moore observed in 1965 that the number of components per chip was doubling regularly, later called Moore's law. Also called a microchip or chip.
2. Incident commander
Government & Politics · Emergency Services Abbreviations
Person in overall charge of an emergency incident under the Incident Command System, responsible for setting objectives, strategies and safety. At a house fire this is typically the first-arriving fire officer or a battalion chief.
Example: The IC ordered all crews out of the building when the roof began to sag.
Command can be transferred as more senior officers arrive, with a formal briefing. When several agencies share authority, a unified command replaces a single IC. Radio calls to the IC usually use the incident's name, such as "Main Street Command."
3. Interstitial cystitis
Medical · Nephrology & Urology Abbreviations
Chronic bladder pain condition, often called IC/BPS (bladder pain syndrome), with pelvic pain, pressure, urgency and frequency lasting more than six weeks without infection or another identifiable cause. It mainly affects women; treatment combines diet changes, physical therapy, oral medications and bladder instillations.
Example: Recurrent "UTIs" with negative cultures; IC suspected, cystoscopy shows Hunner lesion.
Hunner lesions, red inflamed areas seen on cystoscopy, define a subtype that responds well to fulguration. Pentosan polysulfate, an oral IC drug, carries a warning about pigmentary maculopathy, an eye condition. In respiratory care IC means inspiratory capacity, and in law informed consent.
4. Individual contributor
Business & Finance · Human Resources Abbreviations
Employee who does specialized work without managing other people, such as a software engineer, designer or analyst. Many companies offer parallel IC and management career ladders so experts can advance without becoming managers.
Example: After two years as a manager, she moved back to an IC role as a principal engineer.
Dual-track ladders, with titles such as staff and principal engineer, became common in technology companies to retain senior experts. Common outside meanings include integrated circuit.
5. I see
Texting & Internet Slang · Texting and Chat Abbreviations
Acknowledges understanding, the chat equivalent of "oh, I see," often in reply to an explanation or a change of plans. The letter C stands in for the sound of "see."
Example: Ic, so the meeting moved to Thursday afternoon now.
Also expanded to OIC (oh, I see). In role-play communities IC means "in character," and in electronics it means integrated circuit. A bare "ic" can sound flat or uninterested, so many writers add "ok" or "thanks."
6. In character
Texting & Internet Slang · Fandom and Fan Fiction Abbreviations
Role-play and fan fiction term for writing or acting as a character, consistent with their personality and the story world, as opposed to OOC (out of character).
Example: Keep the main channel IC only, put questions in the chat thread.
Role-play servers on Discord and forums often have separate IC and OOC channels. In fan fiction reviews, "very IC" is praise for faithful characterization. In everyday texting, "ic" means "I see."
Related abbreviations
More electronics & electrical abbreviations
- GPIO – General-purpose input/output
- HDL – Hardware description language
- HV – High voltage
- I2C – Inter-Integrated Circuit
- IF – Intermediate frequency
- IGBT – Insulated-gate bipolar transistor
- JFET – Junction field-effect transistor
- JTAG – Joint Test Action Group
See all 82 electronics & electrical abbreviations →
More emergency services abbreviations
- FDNY – Fire Department of the City of New York
- FF – Firefighter
- HAZMAT – Hazardous materials
- IAP – Incident action plan
- ICP – Incident command post
- ICS – Incident Command System
- IDLH – Immediately dangerous to life or health
- IMT – Incident management team
See all 72 emergency services abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.