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.
