AccessAbility SIG of STC: Glossary of Latin Terms and Abbreviations

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Latin Abbreviations and Expressions

• Common Latin Abbreviations Used In Writing
• Commonly Used Latin Expressions
• Related Technical Communication Information

This page provides two tables showing common Latin abbreviations and expressions used by technical communicators.

Common Latin Abbreviations Used In Writing

Latin abbreviations are appropriate in footnotes, bibliographies, and informal writing (e.g., information in parentheses).

In business, formal, and technical writing, use the English equivalent of the abbreviation to avoid misinterpretation by your readers:

Many communication tools can be used to promote the launch of a new store (for example, flyers, press releases, radio announcements, and so on).

Note: It is best to create content using "plain language" principles. Plain language (also called plain English) is a writing style that is simple and direct, but not simplistic or patronizing. When writing in plain language, use short sentences with simple words. Avoid jargon, acronyms, and abbreviations. Plain language should be visually inviting, logically organized, and understandable on the first reading.

Related Link:
Jargon to avoid in scientific and technical writing

Abbreviation	Latin	English
A.M.	ante meridiem	before noon
c. or ca	circa	about; approximately
cf.	confer	compare
c.v.	curriculum vitae	curriculum vitae
ead.	eadem	in the same place; author (female form of ibid.)
e.g.	exempli gratia	for example; for instance
etc.	et cetera	and so on; and other people/things
et al.	et alii (masculine plural) or et aliae (feminine plural) or et alia (neutral plural)	and other people
et seq.	et sequens	and the following pages
fl.	floruit	he/she flourished; used to indicate the high point of a person's life or career when his/her dates of birth are unknown
ib, ibid.	ibidem	in the same place; relates to the immediately prior source. author (male)
i.e.	id est	that is
loc. cit.	loco citato	in the place already mentioned; relates to sources before the immediately prior citation
N.B.	nota bene	note well/carefully
op. cit.	opere citato	in the work already mentioned; relates to sources before the immediately prior citation [loc. cit. and op. cit. are synonymous, with op. cit. probably more frequent]
p.	paper	page
P.M.	post meridiem	after noon
pp.	pluta paper	pages
p.p.	per pro; per procurationem	on behalf of; used when someone signs a letter by authority or proxy because another person is not available
pro tem.	pro tempore	for the time; temporarily
P.S.	post scriptum	after writing
Q.E.D.	quod erat demonstrandum	which was to be shown
q.v.	quod vide	which see; used to cross-refer to material that can be found elsewhere within the same book or piece of writing. q.v. is not synomymous with cf.; the latter cross-refers to external material
sc. or scil.	scilicet; scire licet	that is to say, namely
sic	sic	thus, or literally
s.v.	sub voce	under the word; used in connection with alphabetically arranged reference works
v.	versus	against
v.	vide, imperative of video	see; look up
v.	voce	voice; word
v.g.	verbi gratia	for example
v. inf.	vide infra	see below
viz	videlicet	that is to say, namely [a keynote abbreviation for academic pedants or post-modernists. There is no full stop (signifying an abbreviation), because the "z" is not a letter but a sign of contraction].
vs.	versus	against
v.v.	vice versa	the other way round

Commonly Used Latin Expressions

Latin Expression	English
a fortiori	with even stronger reason
a posteriori	from effects to causes; reasoning based on past experience
a priori	from causes to effects; conclusions drawn from assumptions; from what comes before; deductive reasoning
ab initio	from the beginning
ad hoc	improvised
ad infinitum	never ending
ad lib	at will; off the top of the head
bis	second (as in V34.bis)
bona fide	in good faith
caveat	a caution/warning (e.g. caveat emptor - "let the buyer beware")
curricula vitae	the courses of one's life; résumés
curriculum vitae	the course of one's life; résumé
de facto	from the fact (rather than by right)
de jure	from the law
ex officio	out of one's duty or office
ex post facto	after the fact, retrospectively
infra	below
in situ	in its original place
in toto	in its entirety
inter alia	among other things
locus classicus	standard or most authoritative source
ipso facto	by the fact itself
non sequitur	it does not follow
passim	here and there; throughout; in several places
per capita	per head
prima facie	at first sight; on the face of it
pro bono	for the public good, at no cost
pro rata	in proportion
quid pro quo	something in return
scilicet; scire licet	that is to say, namely
sic	thus used; thus spelt
sine die	without a day, with no time fixed
sine qua non	without which not, essential precondition
status quo	things as they are
stet	as it was originally
supra	above
vide	see
vide supre	see above
viva (voce)	oral examination

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strategic planning, administration
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Karen Mardahl
A-SIG Co-Manager:
international issues
E-mail:

Lisa Pappas
A-SIG Co-Manager:
strategic planning, administration
E-mail:

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Last updated: 7 April 2008
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