Videlicet

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /vɪˈdɛlɪsɛt/

Definitions

1. that which is used to specify or clarify by providing detailed instances or examples is often employed in written contexts to illustrate a preceding point
2. a term that serves to indicate specific instances or details clarifying a prior statement is commonly used to enumerate examples in scholarly texts
3. A term employed to point out precise examples or clarifications within a statement

Etymology: "Videlicet" is a Latin contraction of "vidēre licet," meaning "it is permitted to see." Its underlying sense is a sort of permission to look, and in practice it came to mean "that is to say" or "namely," introducing a clarification, a list of specifics, or a precise detail the writer wants the reader to see. English borrowed it straight from Latin, and it keeps the flavour of its origins. Writers use it to point the reader toward an exact instance: "the cause of the delay, videlicet the broken pump." Its abbreviated form, "viz.," is more common in print today, and many readers encounter the full word mainly in older or formal texts.

Synonyms: namely, that is to say