Viz is a somewhat archaic abbreviation of the Latin word videlicet (which means "that is to say") which is often used to introduce a list or series, in much the same way as a colon. Viz is often written in italics and sometimes with a period following it (indicating its abbreviated nature: "viz."). The abbreviation was derived from the ancient Roman "Tironian note" for the same sign, adapted into a medieval handwriting abbreviation which looked something like the number 3, or the Middle English letter yogh (ȝ), although it is related to neither of these.
By modern standards, the term viz is used surprisingly often in documents from the 17th and 18th centuries. At that time, Latin was still considered the international language of science.
For example:
- Many things in life can be broken up into three sections, viz, beginning, middle and end.
- My grandfather had four sons that grew up, viz.: Thomas, John, Benjamin and Josiah.
- -- From Ben Franklin's autobiography [1].
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