"that is, namely, to wit," 14世紀後期,拉丁語在英語中使用,意爲“你可能知道,你可能確定,這是確定的”,用於“也就是說,即”,縮寫自 scire licit “允許知道”,來自 scire “知道”(參見 science); 對於第二個元素,請參見 licit。它被用作古英語 hit is to witanne,字面意思是“它是要知道的”(參見 wit(v.))。通常縮寫爲 sc 或 scil。
Its function is to introduce : (a) a more intelligible or definite substitute, sometimes the English, for an expression already used ... (b) a word &c. that was omitted in the original as unnecessary, but is thought to require specifying for the present audience .... [Fowler]
它的功能是引入:(a)一個更易理解或明確的替代品,有時是英語,用於已經使用的表達式... (b)一個在原文中被省略爲不必要的單詞等,但被認爲需要爲現在的聽衆指定.... [福勒]