Viz. aut viz?

Michaelyus · Post by **Michaelyus** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 10:43 am

Which is the correct abbreviation for videlicet?

Lucus Eques · Post by **Lucus Eques** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 5:29 pm

Whether capitalized or lowercase, you mean? I don't think it matters in particular.

mariek · Post by **mariek** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 11:05 pm

I use viz all the time and never thought about it. I don't think it matters, but I always use lowercase.

mraig · Post by **mraig** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 7:58 pm

Or do you mean: should it have a period after it or not? If that is your question, I think either is acceptable, but the period is maybe a bit more proper.

fierywrath · Post by **fierywrath** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:33 am

Viz is more proper than viz., as any great intellect would know (the 'z' standing for the letters 'et', making it a contraction rather than an abbreviation)

mraig · Post by **mraig** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 6:39 pm

I may not be a "great intellect", but:

1. The Oxford English Dictionary lists the form as "viz." with the period.

2. A contraction is of more than one word, and replaces the missing letters with an apostrophe (e.g. have not -> haven't). Viz. is the abbreviation of a single word: 'videlicet'. Although the letters left out are from the middle instead of the end, I am unaware of any rule requiring that such abbreviations not end with a period; I would write Mr. for 'mister'; Mrs. for 'mistress'. Some modern style guides (particularly in England) have taken to dropping almost all periods after abbreviations, in which case the question is moot anyway.

bellum paxque · Post by **bellum paxque** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:13 pm

2. A contraction is of more than one word, and replaces the missing letters with an apostrophe (e.g. have not -> haven't). Viz. is the abbreviation of a single word: 'videlicet'. Although the letters left out are from the middle instead of the end, I am unaware of any rule requiring that such abbreviations not end with a period; I would write Mr. for 'mister'; Mrs. for 'mistress'. Some modern style guides (particularly in England) have taken to dropping almost all periods after abbreviations, in which case the question is moot anyway.

whiteoctave informed this forum a few weeks ago that, in England, it is incorrect to write Mr., Mrs., and the like with periods. These, he explained, are not abbreviations but rather...some other term that I don't remember, since letters are dropped from the middle and not from the end. Having lived in England for the last four months (only recently returned), I can verify this standard, though I don't know how old it is. Of course, this doesn't help much with videlicet.

-David

mraig · Post by **mraig** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 7:01 am

bellum paxque wrote:
2. A contraction is of more than one word, and replaces the missing letters with an apostrophe (e.g. have not -> haven't). Viz. is the abbreviation of a single word: 'videlicet'. Although the letters left out are from the middle instead of the end, I am unaware of any rule requiring that such abbreviations not end with a period; I would write Mr. for 'mister'; Mrs. for 'mistress'. Some modern style guides (particularly in England) have taken to dropping almost all periods after abbreviations, in which case the question is moot anyway.
whiteoctave informed this forum a few weeks ago that, in England, it is incorrect to write Mr., Mrs., and the like with periods. These, he explained, are not abbreviations but rather...some other term that I don't remember, since letters are dropped from the middle and not from the end. Having lived in England for the last four months (only recently returned), I can verify this standard, though I don't know how old it is. Of course, this doesn't help much with videlicet.

-David

By this rule it DOES help with videlicet; since 'viz' is videlicz (z=et) with the middle letters removed, the proper British way of doing it would be without a period. However, since I myself am American and not British, and since we have no such rule of which I am aware, I will go on writing Mr. and viz. and so on.

Also, my understanding is that the British custom is moving towards doing away with periods (what do they call them - full stops?) altogether in abbreviations. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/styleguide/pa ... 44,00.html

Michaelyus · Post by **Michaelyus** » Sat Dec 24, 2005 4:51 pm

I meant with a full stop/period or not...

I have continuously seen it with one, but I've been told it is more correct to use it without for the reason that the z is a sign of contraction. I was wondering for what is it a contraction.

fierywrath · Post by **fierywrath** » Sat Dec 24, 2005 7:12 pm

I already told you so scroll up and read my post until you get it.

Michaelyus · Post by **Michaelyus** » Sun Dec 25, 2005 5:35 pm

Michaelyus wrote:I meant with a full stop/period or not...

I have continuously seen it with one, but I've been told it is more correct to use it without for the reason that the z is a sign of contraction. I was wondering for what is it a contraction.

Sorry, I had been wondering...