Et cetera
From Free net encyclopedia
Et cetera, usually abbreviated to etc. (archaic abbreviations include &c. and &/c.) is Latin for "and the others". It is often used to represent the logical continuation of some sort of series of descriptions. For example:
- We need a lot of fruit: apples, bananas, oranges, etc.
(A common error is the use of the phrase "and etc.", which translates as "and and the others".)
The abbreviated versions should always be followed by a full stop, and it is customary, even in British English, in which there is frequently no comma before and in lists, that etc. always be preceded by a comma. Thus:
- A, B, C, etc.
not:
- A, B, C etc.
In lists of persons, et al. is used in place of etc. (an abbreviation of et alii, meaning "and others"). Less common is the use of et al. in lists of places (where it abbreviates et alibi, meaning "and elsewhere".)