Latin Abbreviations

et alii - 'and others' (for co-authors)

"Smith et al. (2020) reached the same result."

ibidem - 'in the same place' (same source)

"See ibid., p. 42, for the full quotation."

confer - 'compare'

"The theory is contested (cf. Brown, 2015)."

videlicet - 'namely'

"One tense is irregular, viz. the past perfect."

sic erat scriptum - 'thus it was written'

"The sign read 'No tresspassing' [sic]."

quod vide - 'which see' (cross-reference)

"For the origin of the term, see root (q.v.)."

et sequentes - 'and the following'

"Read page 10 et seq. for the argument."

opere citato – ‘in the work cited’

"See Jones, op. cit., p. 44."

loco citato – ‘in the place cited’

"As noted, loc. cit., the data differ."

‘throughout’ – the point recurs in a work

"The theme appears passim in her essays."

‘among other things’

"The report covers, inter alia, costs and risks."

‘above’ – refers to an earlier passage

"See the figures supra."

‘below’ – refers to a later passage

"This is discussed infra, in chapter 4."

exempli gratia - 'for example'

"Bring a snack, e.g. fruit or nuts."

id est - 'that is' / 'in other words'

"The deadline is end of day, i.e. 5 p.m."

et cetera - 'and so on'

"Pack clothes, shoes, toiletries, etc."

versus - 'against'

"It was the classic case of nature vs. nurture."

ante meridiem - 'before midday'

"The train leaves at 7 a.m."

post meridiem - 'after midday'

"We'll meet at 6 p.m."

anno Domini – ‘in the year of the Lord’

"The cathedral dates from AD 1220."

before Christ (English, but paired with AD)

"The ruins are from 300 BC."

curriculum vitae – ‘course of life’

"Attach your CV to the application."

numero – ‘number’

"See item no. 5 on the list."

per centum – ‘per hundred’

"Scores rose by 12%."

'by itself' / 'intrinsically'

"The rule isn't unfair per se, but it's badly timed."

'for this' - for a specific purpose

"They formed an ad hoc committee to fix it."

'in proportion'

"Part-timers are paid pro rata."

'the existing state of affairs'

"Managers preferred to keep the status quo."

'the other way around'

"She trusts him, and vice versa."

'per year'

"The fee is $500 per annum."

'and the rest' (full form of etc.)

"Bring pens, paper, et cetera."

‘for the good’ – unpaid, public-interest work

"She took the case pro bono."

‘in good faith’ – genuine

"He made a bona fide offer."

‘in fact’ – in practice, if not by law

"English is the de facto language of the firm."

‘by law’ – according to the rules

"She is the de jure owner."

‘in its original place’

"The mosaic was preserved in situ."

‘in (someone’s) absence’

"He was tried in absentia."

‘something for something’ – a fair exchange

"The deal was a clear quid pro quo."

‘at first sight’ – on first impression

"There is a prima facie case to answer."

‘to infinity’ – endlessly

"The list goes on ad infinitum."

‘to the point of sickness’ – tediously often

"He repeats it ad nauseam."

nota bene - 'note well'

"N.B. the office is closed on Mondays."

post scriptum - 'written after'

"P.S. Don't forget to bring the tickets."

in re - 'concerning' / 'regarding'

"Re: your email of last Tuesday."

circa - 'around / approximately'

"The castle dates from ca. 1250."

circa - 'about' (used with dates)

"Shakespeare was born c. 1564."

post postscriptum – a further afterthought

"P.P.S. Do bring your camera."

(from Latin includere) – ‘enclosed’

"encl. two references."

répondez s’il vous plaît (French, used like Latin tags)

"RSVP by Friday, please."