Word of the Day

: December 23, 2008

videlicet

adverb vuh-DEH-luh-set

What It Means

: that is to say : namely

videlicet in Context

The restaurant is famous for several dishes: videlicet, arroz con pollo, olla podrida, and carne asada.

Did You Know?

The abbreviation of "videlicet" is "viz," and people often wonder how the "z" got there. There is no "z" in the word's Latin roots, "viderē" ("to see") and "licet" ("it is permitted"). As it turns out, the "z" in "viz" originally wasn't a "z" at all. It was a symbol that looked like a "z" and that was used in medieval manuscripts to indicate the contraction of Latin words ending in "-et." When the symbol was carried into English, it was converted into the more familiar "z."