For those of us who like to gloss over details sometimes, nothing will ever beat Elaine Benes’ patented phrase “yada yada yada,” but “et cetera” is a close second. From Latin, “et cetera” means “and the other things, the rest,” and it’s often used at the end of lists to imply there are more entries than those explicitly enumerated. But rather than wrap this edition up quickly by closing with “et cetera” now, let’s take a closer look at the phrase’s origins and meaning.
Though we most often see them together in English, both et and cetera are Latin words on their own. Et means “and,” while cetera is the plural form of ceterus, meaning “the other… which remains.” Today, you’re likely to see the term written as two words, (incorrectly) as a single “etcetera,” or as an abbreviated “etc.”
The abbreviation of “etc.” is so common today that someone is likely to understand its usage even without knowing the full phrase, but there is an earlier abbreviation that has fallen out of use. Going back to the 15th century, there are writings that use the abbreviation “&c.” (The first symbol is the ampersand, which means “and.”) This particular usage was extended to formal letter writing, as it was common to use “&c.” later in the letter to replace the title of the person to whom the letter was addressed. Though far less common today, there’s evidence of people writing “&c.” as late as the 1970s.
You may also come across the Latin abbreviation et al., short for et alii (masculine), et aliae (feminine), or et alia (neuter), but this isn’t a substitution for “et cetera.” The Latin phrase translates to “and others.” Despite similarities to “et cetera,” et al. is mainly used as a substitute for multiple names strictly in a bibliographical context. You’re likely to see et al. in written works with many citations. We hope that helps you sort through your Latin phrases, abbreviations, lists, etc.
