# What, exactly, do the literay abbreviations i.e., e.g., and et. al. mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 17, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092 "2003-09-17T05:01:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/21 "2003-09-18T14:43:11Z")
Short for _ibidem_, meaning “in the same place”. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/22 "2003-09-18T14:52:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by N9IWP \* > \*\* > Brian > (hope I got that right) \*\* Well, if you’re not sure of your _own name_ … ! 😉 Julie ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/23 "2003-09-18T15:34:05Z")
Pet peeve of mine: people who use the latin abbreviations in speech. They can use the full latin expression, if they must, that’s just pretentious. But using the _written_ abbreviations in everyday speech is ignorance, and we hate that around here. So don’t say “i.e.”, what are you , Old Macdonald? Say “namely”, or “that is”! ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/24 "2003-09-18T17:47:28Z")
'ja ever notice that people who mispronounce etc. as “exetera” also write it as “ect.”? ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/25 "2003-09-18T19:44:37Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Caught@Work_ > viz. (videlicet). Means namely. > Use to introduce specifically the items that compose what has been previously expressed as a whole. You didn’t say the reason this abbreviation annoys you, but if I had to choose a reason to be annoyed at this abbreviation, I would say that the letter **z** isn’t even in _videlicet_ to begin with! How many other abbreviations introduce letters that aren’t in the word or phrase they are supposed to abbreviate? ---
**Author:** ![Svt4Him](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@Svt4Him](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svt4Him)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/26 "2003-09-18T19:52:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Conrad Verloc \* > \*\*Eugene Ehrlich, in his book, > > Amo, Amas, Amat and More, How to Use Latin to Your Own Advantage and to the Astonishment of Others > (1985 Harper and Row; N.Y., NY) > > has this to say about _et al._: > > "abbreviation of **et alii, et aliae, et alia** > > " This abbreviation is used in writing to avoid a lengthy listing. **Et alii** (et AH-lee–ee) is masculine, so it is properly used in speech to mean ‘and other men’ when preceded by the name of a male or to mean “and other people.” **Et aliae** (AH-lee-i)is feminine, so it is properly used in speech to mean ‘and other women.’ **Et alia** (AH-lee-ah) is neuter, so it is properly used in speech to mean ‘and other things.’ Educated persons do not pronounce the abbreviation _et al._ ‘And others’ is said for _et al._" \*\* I’m astonished. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/27 "2003-09-18T20:36:28Z")
> [@](#): > > How many other abbreviations introduce letters that aren’t in the word or phrase they are supposed to abbreviate? “no.” as an abbreviation for “number” comes to mind. But that probably harkens back to some non-English language where there is an o in the word. ---
**Author:** ![adirondack\_mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@adirondack\_mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adirondack_mike)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/28 "2003-09-18T21:02:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jimpatro \* > \*\*'ja ever notice that people who mispronounce etc. as “exetera” also write it as “ect.”? \*\* Are you aksing a question or making a observation? ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/29 "2003-09-18T21:06:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amore ac studio \* > \*\*You didn’t say the reason this abbreviation annoys you, but if I had to choose a reason to be annoyed at this abbreviation, I would say that the letter **z** isn’t even in _videlicet_ to begin with! How many other abbreviations introduce letters that aren’t in the word or phrase they are supposed to abbreviate? \*\* [Why the Z in viz.](http://www.bartleby.com/68/96/6396.html) Peaze. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/30 "2003-09-18T22:20:07Z")
[Get Shorty] I.e., e.g., fuck you! [/Get Shorty} ---
**Author:** ![Roches](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc8723/32.png) [@Roches](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roches)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/31 "2003-09-18T22:29:43Z")
r\_k: If we’re going to get into those, there’s hundreds, especially in law. Even though it’s not an abbreviation and has been used in English for a long time, many articles in scientific journals italicize _via_, as in “…suggests the product forms _via_ a tetrahedral intermediate…” I think it would seem pretentious anywhere else, but in scientific journals it actually seems to make things clearer. ---
**Author:** ![jmizzou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/edb3f5/32.png) [@jmizzou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmizzou)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/32 "2003-09-18T22:37:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amore ac studio \* > How many other abbreviations introduce letters that aren’t in the word or phrase they are supposed to abbreviate? Off the top of my head, “pounds” (unit of weight, not currency) is the most glaring: its abbreviation is “lbs.” ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/33 "2003-09-18T23:00:43Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by jmizzou_ > Off the top of my head, “pounds” (unit of weight, not currency) is the most glaring: its abbreviation is “lbs.” When English speakers read “lbs.” as pounds, it’s analogous to reading “viz.” as namely. Both are supposed to abbreviate Latin words, but the former has been given an Anglicized plural form while the latter has been given an extraneous letter due to errors in manuscript copying, as pointed out in the link provided by **moriah**. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092/34 "2003-09-18T23:27:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jmizzou \* > \*\*Off the top of my head, “pounds” (unit of weight, not currency) is the most glaring: its abbreviation is “lbs.” \*\* More Latin: _lb._ abbreviates _libra,_ “pound.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-the-literay-abbreviations-i-e-e-g-and-et-al-mean/202092.md?page=1)