Sic Definition
sic
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English
Wikipedia has an article on: SicPronunciation
Etymology 1
From Latin sīc (“thus, so”).
Latin word meaning "thus," "so," "as such," or "in such a manner." It is used when writing quoted material to indicate that an incorrect or unusual spelling, phrase, punctuation or meaning in the quote has been reproduced verbatim from the original and is not a transcription error (i.e. it appeared thus in the original). It is normally placed within the quoted material, in square brackets and often italicized—[sic]. Alternatively it can appear after the quote in parentheses (round brackets)—(sic).[1] Where the quoted material is a known error, and the correct word or phrase is known, it may be included, preceded by recte, Latin for "rightly"; this is common in palaeography.
Adverb
sic (not comparable)
- thus; thus written
Usage notes
The word sic may be used in brackets to show that an uncommon or archaic usage is reported faithfully: for instance, quoting the U.S. Constitution:
- The House of Representatives shall chuse [sic] their Speaker ...
It may also be used to highlight a perceived error, sometimes for the purpose of ridicule, as in this example from The Times:
- Warehouse has been around for 30 years and has 263 stores, suggesting a large fan base. The chain sums up its appeal thus: "styley [sic], confident, sexy, glamorous, edgy, clean and individual, with it's [sic] finger on the fashion pulse."[2]
On occasion, sic has been misidentified as an abbreviation for "said in context," "spelled in context," "said in copy," "spelling is correct," "spelled incorrectly" and other phrases.[3][4] These are all backronyms from sic.
Related terms
- sic passim (Used to indicate that the preceding word, phrase, or term is used in the same manner (or form) throughout the remainder of a text.)
- sic transit gloria mundi (Fame is temporary.)
- sic semper tyrannis (Thus always to tyrants, shouted by John Wilkes Booth after assassinating Abraham Lincoln.)
Translations
thus, thus writtenVerb
sic (third-person singular simple present sics, present participle siccing, simple past and past participle sicced)
- To mark with a bracketed sic.[5]
Etymology 2
Variant of seek.
Alternative forms
Verb
sic (third-person singular simple present sics, present participle siccing, simple past and past participle sicced)
- (transitive) To incite an attack by, especially a dog or dogs.
- He sicced his dog on me!
- (transitive) To set upon; to chase; to attack.
- Sic 'em, Mitzi.
Usage notes
- The sense of "set upon" is most commonly used as an imperative, in a command to an animal.
Translations
incite an attack by
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References
- ^ The particular entry is available in the online preview, via search.
- ^ Ashworth, Anne, "Chain reaction: Warehouse", The Times, 2006-06-21. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
- ^ e.g. Abbreviations.com, accessdate 2010-01-27
- ^ |Thefreedictionary.com, accessdate= 2010-01-27
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "sic, adv. (and n.)" Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition 1989. Oxford University Press.
- ^ E. Belfort Bax. On Some Forms of Modern Cant. Commonweal: 7 May 1887. Marxists’ Internet Archive: 14 Jan. 2006
Anagrams
French
Etymology
From Latin sīc (“thus, so”).
Adverb
sic
Latin
Adverb
sīc
- thus, so, or just like that
Derived terms
Descendants
Lojban
Rafsi
sic
- Rafsi of stici.
Scots
Alternative forms
Adjective
sic (comparative mair sic, superlative maist sic)
Pronoun
sic
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A sic, added just after a quoted word or phrase (or a longer piece of text), indicates that the quoted words appear exactly as in the original source. The usual purpose is to inform readers that any errors or apparent errors in the copied material do not arise from transcription, i.e. that they are reproduced exactly from the original writer or printer. Sic is generally placed inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally in parentheses or with italicization, (sic), [sic], etc. A sic may also be used as a form of ridicule or as a humorous comment, drawing attention to the original writer's mistakes.