Avoid using Latin terms. Archaic and uncommon Latin terms are less clear than their plain English counterparts.
Latin terms |
Equivalent English expressions |
Usage in documentation |
ad hoc |
unplanned, for a particular occasion |
Use ad hoc sparingly. Acceptable usages of ad hoc include ad hoc meeting, ad hoc conferencing, and ad hoc network. |
circa |
approximately, about Circa is often used with dates to denote approximate timelines. |
Do not use circa in documentation. Use the English equivalent approximately. |
e.g. |
for example, such as |
Use the English equivalent. |
et al. |
and others |
List all the terms, or use for example or such as. |
etc, et cetera |
etcetera, and so on |
Do not use etc. You can use the English equivalent and so on sparingly to emphasize that there are additional options you are not listing. For example, this is useful if there are too many options to list or if the available options can vary. |
i.e. |
that is, in other words |
Be as specific as possible. Avoid using i.e. or the English equivalent. |
per |
for each |
Use per sparingly to mean for each. For example, characters per inch or twice per day. Do not use as per to mean according to or based on. Do not use in accordance with because it is wordy and often unclear. |
via |
through, by |
Although via is common, it is vague and can mean multiple things. Use the appropriate English equivalent instead. |
versus, vs |
- |
Use versus for comparison. In headings, write vs. in lowercase letters. In text, spell out the word as versus. |
