passim

adverb

pas·​sim ˈpa-səm 

ˈpa-ˌsim,

ˈpä- 

: here and there

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Passim is from the Latin word passus ("scattered"), itself from pandere, meaning "to spread." Pandere is the root of the common word expand and the not-so-common word repand, meaning "having a slightly undulating margin" (as in "a repand leaf" or "a repand colony of bacteria"). It is also the progenitor of pace, as in "keep up a steady pace." Passim itself appears in English both on its own and as part of the adverb sic passim, which means "so throughout." Sic passim is typically used to indicate that a word or idea is to be found at various places throughout a book or a writer's work.

Synonyms

• about
• around
• here and there

Examples of passim in a Sentence

the book belonged to my father, and his trenchant comments are found passim—both in the margins and between the lines of text

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from passus scattered, from past participle of pandere to spread — more at fathom

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing passim

• sic passim

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Legal Definition

passim

adverb

pas·​sim ˈpa-səm, -ˌsim, ˈpä-ˌsēm 

: in one place and another

—used in citations of cases, articles, or books to indicate that something (as a word, phrase, or idea) is found at many places in the work cited

see Arango, 621 F.2d 1371, passim

Etymology

Latin, here and there