The word sic, meaning “thus” in Latin, is placed in the text when an author knowingly quotes a misspelled word or otherwise incorrect statement. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Known Misspelling in Quote”
Grant, here’s an email in our box from Chris Kinnick.
He writes,
Sometimes when I’m reading, the author will quote another author who’s misspelled a word.
The quote will have the letters S-I-C after the misspelled word.
What does that word mean and where does it come from?
Why are they putting sick in the middle of a sentence, Grant?
Not very good. Why is that?
S-I-C in Latin means thus.
And so if you put it in the sentence, you’re showing that you really know how it’s spelled, but this person spelled it incorrectly.
And the word sick also figured in what John Wilkes Booth said after he shot Abraham Lincoln.
He leapt to the floor of Ford’s theater stage and said, sick semper tyrannis, thus always to tyrants.
So if you see sick, that’s what that means.
We welcome your questions about language.
You can do like Chris did and email us, words@waywordradio.org, or give us a call.
The number is 877-929-9673.
