Sic

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /sɪk/

Definitions

1. Thus or in that manner; used to indicate that a quoted passage appears exactly as it was originally written, even if it contains errors or seems unusual
2. In that way or manner
3. a term often used in writing to signal that a quoted text is reproduced exactly as it appeared originally, regardless of its accuracy or coherence

Etymology: In Latin, "sic" simply meant "thus" or "in this way," and it was a common word in ordinary speech and writing. English took it over unchanged, and it kept that plain sense of "so" for centuries before it became an editor's tool. Its modern use is a marker of responsibility. When a writer places "[sic]" after a quoted error, the bracketed word tells readers that the mistake lies in the original, not in the person quoting it. The editor is saying, in effect, "this is how it was written," so the oddity is not the copier's doing. The same Latin word appears in the familiar phrase "sic transit gloria mundi," meaning "thus passes the glory of the world."

Synonyms: thus, so