viz.
adv/vɪz/
Etymology From Medieval Latin viꝫ, from Latin vidēlicet (“that is to say, namely”), short for vidēre licet (“it is permitted to see”, literally “to-look (it) allows”). The ‘z’ comes from the similarity between ꝫ (‘et’) and the cursive form of the letter z, with the former having originated as a common abbreviation (specifically, a Tironian note), used by Latin scribes in the Middle Ages, for the suffix -et (among others). Compare ⁊ (‘et’), the Tironian symbol for the Latin word et (“and”) and for its equivalents in other European languages (including Old English and) in medieval times.
1
Videlicet: namely, to wit, that is to say, specifically, as an illustration.
- I am at this period, viz. in 1812, living in a cottage; […]1821 September–October, [Thomas De Quincey], “[Part II.] Introduction to the Pains of Opium.”, in Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, 2nd edition, London: […] [J. Moyes] for Taylor and Hessey, […], published 1823, →OCLC, page 119:
- The fact is, when Captain Dobbin blushed so, and looked so, it was necessary to inform the young ladies, viz., that he had been calling at Mr. Sedley's house already, […]1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:
2 more examples
- This, however, makes it necessary to distinguish between two different types of gaps, viz. between “singular NP gaps” and “plural NP gaps.”1993, Hans Kamp, Uwe Reyle, From Discourse to Logic: Introduction to Modeltheoretic Semantics of Natural Language, Formal Logic and Discourse Representation Theory, page 51:
- As to (b), the joint intention, like any intention, commits the intending agents to carry out its content, viz. to act.2012, Matti Sintonen, Realism in Action: Essays in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences:
- Related terms
- ⁊