The phrase "et cetera" is a Latin phrase that literally means "and the others." The word "et" means "and," and "cetera" is a plural of "ceterus," meaning "the other" or "the other part, that which remains." The phrase has been part of our language since the early 1400s. Before the 20th century, it was most commonly abbreviated as "&c." although etc. is now used more often.
Source: Etymonline|Date updated: May 21, 2001
No comments:
Post a Comment