sic
sic Lexical Profile
sic Game Scores & Validity
• adverb
Used in brackets after a copied or quoted word that appears odd, archaic, or erroneous to show that the word is quoted exactly as it stands in the original source; thus, so.
"The historical letter noted that the explorer had 'arrived in New Yrok [sic] early that Tuesday morning.'"
• verb
To incite, urge, or command to attack or pursue someone (especially of a dog or a person in authority).
"The grumpy landowner threatened to sic his guard dogs on anyone who trespassed across the orchard."
Word Nuance & Usage
Contrary to a common misconception, the editorial adverb [sic] is not an acronym for 'spelling is incorrect' or 'said in context'; it is the Latin adverb meaning 'thus' or 'so', used in brackets to show that an error or unusual wording is reproduced verbatim from the original source. As an informal verb meaning to incite to attack, it is unrelated in origin and is a homophone of 'sick' and 'seek' (dialectal).
• Rhymes for sic
Word Origin & Etymology
The editorial adverb is borrowed directly from Latin sic ('thus, so, in this manner'), often short for sic erat scriptum ('thus was it written'). The informal verb meaning 'to incite to attack' is a 19th-century dialectal variant pronunciation of the Old English verb 'seek'.