Latin abbreviation🔤 abbreviation
etc.
and so on; and the rest
What it means
etc. stands for the Latin 'et cetera,' meaning 'and the rest' or 'and so on.' It signals that a list continues with more items of the same kind. Because 'et' already means 'and,' you should never write 'and etc.'
Words like “etc.” are exactly the kind of vocabulary our English vocabulary size test measures — find out how many English words you know.
Examples
- Bring snacks, drinks, plates, etc.
- We sell pens, notebooks, folders, etc.
- He studies languages — French, Spanish, Italian, etc.
- Remember the basics: passport, tickets, money, etc.
Where it comes from
From Latin 'et cetera.' The common mispronunciation 'ex cetera' is incorrect; the 't' is the first sound. It's poor style to end a formal sentence with a vague 'etc.'
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