Viz.
The abbreviationviz.(orvizwithout a full stop) is short for the Latinvidelicet,which itself is a contraction of the Latin phrasevidere licet,meaning "it is permitted to see".[1][2][3]It is used as a synonym for "namely", "that is to say", "to wit", "which is", or "as follows". It is typically used to introduce examples or further details to illustrate a point: for example, "all types of dataviz.text, audio, video, pictures, graphics, can be transmitted through networking ".[4]
Etymology
[edit]Viz.is shorthand for the Latin adverbvidelicetusingscribal abbreviation,a system ofmedieval Latinshorthand. It consists of the first two letters,vi,followed by the last two,et,usingU+A76BꝫLATIN SMALL LETTER ET.[5]With the adoption ofmovable typeprinting, the (then current)blackletterform of the letter⟨z⟩,,was substituted for this symbol since few typefaces included it.[6]
Usage
[edit]In contrast toi.e.ande.g.,viz.is used to indicate a detailed description of something stated before, and when it precedes a list of group members, it implies (near) completeness.
- Viz.is usually read aloud as "that is", "namely", or "to wit",[7]but is sometimes pronounced as it is spelled, viz.:/ˈvɪz/.
- Videlicetis pronounced/vɪˈdɛlɪsɛt/or/wɪˈdeɪlɪkɛt/[7]in English-speaking countries.
Examples
[edit]- This was the intended meaning of his speech,viz.that our attitude was in fact harmful, was not understood.
- The later two problems,viz.his debt and his back pain, could not be so easily solved.
- "My grandfather had four sons who grew up, viz. Thomas, John, Benjamin and Josiah."[8]
- The noble gases, viz. helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon, show an unexpected behaviour when exposed to this new element.
Compared withscilicet
[edit]A similar expression isscilicet,from earlierscire licet,abbreviated assc.,which is Latin for "it is permitted to know."Sc.provides a parenthetic clarification, removes an ambiguity, or supplies a word omitted in preceding text, whileviz.is usually used to elaborate or detail text which precedes it.
In legal usage,scilicetappears abbreviated asss.It can also appear as asection sign(§) in a caption, where it is used to provide a statement of venue, that is to say a location where an action is to take place.
Scilicetcan be read as "namely," "to wit," or "that is to say," or pronounced/ˈskiːlɪkɛt/in English-speaking countries, or also anglicized as/ˈsɪlɪsɛt/.[9]
See also
[edit]- Cf.
- See also (disambiguation)
- Sic
The dictionary definition ofvis-à-visat Wiktionary
References
[edit]- ^Oxford English Dictionary
- ^The New Fowler's Modern English Usage(revised third edition, 1998), pp. 825, 828.
- ^American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language(fourth edition, 2000), p. 1917
- ^"'videlicet', Random House Dictionary ".dictionary.Retrieved19 March2015.
- ^Brewer, Ebenezer (1970).Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.New York: Harper & Row. p.943.According to Cobham Brewer, the same abbreviation mark was used for "habet" and "omnibus".
- ^Hill, Will (30 June 2020)."Chapter 25: Typography and the printed English text"(PDF).The Routledge Handbook of the English Writing System.Taylor & Francis Limited (Sales). p. 6.ISBN9780367581565.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2022-07-10.
The types used by Caxton and his contemporaries originated in Holland and Belgium, and did not provide for the continuing use of elements of the Old English Alpha bet such as thorn <þ>, eth <ð>, and yogh <ʒ>. The substitution of visually similar typographic forms has led to some anomalies which persist to this day in the reprinting of archaic texts and the spelling of regional words.
- ^abThe American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language(fourth edition, 2000), p. 1917.
- ^The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklinat Project Gutenberg.
- ^The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language(fourth edition, 2000), p. 1560.