Viz
Encyclopedia
Viz. and the adverb videlicet are used as synonyms for "namely", "that is to say", and "as follows".
for videlicet; it specifically uses a Tironian
abbreviation. It comprises the letters v and i followed by ⁊According to E. Cobham Brewer (1810–1897), Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, the same abbreviation mark was used for "habet" and "omnibus"., the common medieval Latin contraction for et and -et. It has been included in Unicode
since version 5.1. The glyph ⁊ for "and" is the only other Tironian abbreviation remaining in use.
Videlicet is a contraction
of Classical Latin vidēre licet, which meant "it may be seen, evidently, clearly" (vidēre, to see; licet, third person singular present tense of licēre, to be permitted). In Latin, videlicet was used to confirm a previous sentence or to state its contrary.
of videlicet, which itself is a contraction
from Latin
of "videre licet" meaning "it is permitted to see." Both forms introduce a specification or description of something stated earlier; this is often a list preceded by a colon (:). Although both forms survive in English, viz. is far more common than videlicet.
In contradistinction to i.e. and e.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.
A similar expression is scilicet, abbreviated as sc., 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, while viz. is usually used to elaborate or detail text which precedes it. In legal usage, scilicet appears abbreviated as ss. or, in a caption, as §
, where it provides a statement of venue and is read as "to wit". Scilicet can be read as "namely," "to wit," or "that is to say," or pronounced ˈ or ˈ.
Etymology
Viz. is the medieval scribal abbreviationScribal abbreviation
Scribal abbreviations are the abbreviations used by ancient and mediæval scribes writing in Latin and, later, in Greek and Old Norse...
for videlicet; it specifically uses a Tironian
Tironian notes
Tironian notes is a system of shorthand said to have been invented by Cicero's scribe Marcus Tullius Tiro. Tiro's system consisted of about 4,000 signs, somewhat extended in classical times to 5,000 signs. In the European Medieval period, Tironian notes were taught in monasteries and the system...
abbreviation. It comprises the letters v and i followed by ⁊According to E. Cobham Brewer (1810–1897), Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, the same abbreviation mark was used for "habet" and "omnibus"., the common medieval Latin contraction for et and -et. It has been included in Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
since version 5.1. The glyph ⁊ for "and" is the only other Tironian abbreviation remaining in use.
Videlicet is a contraction
Contraction (grammar)
A contraction is a shortened version of the written and spoken forms of a word, syllable, or word group, created by omission of internal letters....
of Classical Latin vidēre licet, which meant "it may be seen, evidently, clearly" (vidēre, to see; licet, third person singular present tense of licēre, to be permitted). In Latin, videlicet was used to confirm a previous sentence or to state its contrary.
Usage
Viz. is an abbreviationAbbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
of videlicet, which itself is a contraction
Contraction (grammar)
A contraction is a shortened version of the written and spoken forms of a word, syllable, or word group, created by omission of internal letters....
from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
of "videre licet" meaning "it is permitted to see." Both forms introduce a specification or description of something stated earlier; this is often a list preceded by a colon (:). Although both forms survive in English, viz. is far more common than videlicet.
In contradistinction to i.e. and e.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", but is sometimes pronounced as it is spelt. ˈ.
- Videlicet is pronounced v or w.
A similar expression is scilicet, abbreviated as sc., 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, while viz. is usually used to elaborate or detail text which precedes it. In legal usage, scilicet appears abbreviated as ss. or, in a caption, as §
Section sign
The section sign , also called the "double S", "sectional symbol" or signum sectiōnis, is a typographical character used mainly to refer to a particular section of a document, such as a legal code. It is frequently used along with the pilcrow , or paragraph sign...
, where it provides a statement of venue and is read as "to wit". Scilicet can be read as "namely," "to wit," or "that is to say," or pronounced ˈ or ˈ.
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."
- The noble gases, viz., helium, neon, argon, xenon, krypton, and radon, show a non-expected behaviour when exposed to this new element.