Viz.: Difference between revisions
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: Many things in life can be broken up into three sections, ''viz'', beginning, middle and end. |
: Many things in life can be broken up into three sections, ''viz'', beginning, middle and end. |
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: My grandfather had four sons that grew up, viz.: Thomas, John, Benjamin and Josiah. |
: My grandfather had four sons that grew up, viz.: Thomas, John, Benjamin and Josiah. |
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-- From [[Ben Franklin]]'s autobiography [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/148]. |
:: -- From [[Ben Franklin]]'s autobiography [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/148]. |
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Revision as of 16:13, 18 October 2004
Viz introduces a list or series, in much the same way as a colon. It's often written in italics and sometimes with a period following it (indicating its abreviated nature).
Examples
- Many things in life can be broken up into three sections, viz, beginning, middle and end.
- My grandfather had four sons that grew up, viz.: Thomas, John, Benjamin and Josiah.
- -- From Ben Franklin's autobiography [1].
History and Usage
An abbreviation of the latin word videlicet [2], you'll find viz to be present in a surprisingly -- by today's standards -- large number of documents written during the 17th and 18th century. This was a period when Latin was still considered the international language of science.
Viz is particularly frequent in A Treastise of Human Nature by David Hume.