Viz
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Viz (also "viz.", with a period) and videlicet are adverbs used today as synonyms of "namely, precisely, that is to say". Videlicet is Latin for "one may see; clearly, evidently", while viz is a corrupted abbreviation of the former. They introduce a specification or a more detailed description of something stated before; often, as with a syntactical-descriptive colon, this is a list.[1] Though both forms survive in many modern languages, viz is far more common in English than videlicet. Viz is traditionally read aloud as "namely" or "to wit", not phonetically as [vɪz].[2] In writing, it is now usually followed by an unnecessary period (see below).
A similar expression is scilicet, abbreviated "sc.", from Latin scīre licet ("it may be known"). It may also be read aloud as "namely". Though largely interchangeable, viz. is often used to elaborate or detail the text that precedes it, while sc. is mostly used to provide a parenthetic clarification or gloss, for instance within quoted material.
[edit] Etymology and difference with the original meaning
Videlicet is Classical Latin and at the same time a contraction of vidēre licet (vidēre, to see; licet, third person singular present tense of licēre, to be permitted), hence its original meaning of "it may be seen, evidently, clearly". In Classical Latin it was used to confirm a previous sentence or, ironically, to state its contrary; but both usages have pretty much been lost over the course of the years, leaving the simpler meaning explained above.
Viz is a transliteration of a medieval scribal abbreviation for videlicet: the letters v and i followed by a Tironian sign which looked similar to the numeral 3, or the Middle English letter yogh (although related to neither of these).
[edit] Examples
- The main point of his speech, viz that our attitude was in fact harmful, was not understood.
- My grandfather had four sons that grew up, viz.: Thomas, John, Benjamin and Josiah.[3]
Having both the word viz and a syntactical-descriptive colon, as in the second example, is arguably redundant.
[edit] References
- ^ Pickett, Joseph P; et al. (2000). "videlicet", American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed.. Retrieved on 2007-04-05.
- ^ OED; Fowler's Modern English Usage
- ^ The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin at Project Gutenberg
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