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sic

1

or sick

[ sik ]
/ sɪk /
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See synonyms for sic on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), sicced or sicked [sikt], /sɪkt/, sic·cing or sick·ing.
to attack (used especially in commanding a dog): Sic 'em!
to incite to attack (usually followed by on).
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Origin of sic

1
First recorded in 1835–45; variant of seek

Other definitions for sic (2 of 5)

sic2
[ sik ]
/ sɪk /
adjective Chiefly Scot.
such.

Origin of sic

2
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English (north and Scots); see such

Other definitions for sic (3 of 5)

sic3
[ seek; English sik ]
/ sik; English sɪk /
adverb Latin.
so; thus: usually written parenthetically to denote that a word, phrase, passage, etc., that may appear strange or incorrect has been written intentionally or has been quoted verbatim: He signed his name as e. e. cummings (sic).

Origin of sic

3
First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin sīc

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sic

sic , sick

Other definitions for sic (4 of 5)

SIC
U.S. Government.
Standard Industrial Classification: a system used by the federal government to classify business activities for analytical and reporting purposes.

Other definitions for sic (5 of 5)

Sic.
abbreviation
Sicilian.
Sicily.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to sic

actually, completely, directly, plainly, precisely, really, simply, truly, apparently, indeed, quite, then, therefore, thus, too, very, well, coerce, harass, hound

How to use sic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sic (1 of 3)

sic1
/ (sɪk) /
adverb
so or thus: inserted in brackets in a written or printed text to indicate that an odd or questionable reading is what was actually written or printed

Word Origin for sic

Latin

British Dictionary definitions for sic (2 of 3)

sic2
/ (sɪk) /
verb sics, sicking or sicked (tr)
to turn on or attack: used only in commands, as to a dog
to urge (a dog) to attack

Word Origin for sic

C19: dialect variant of seek

British Dictionary definitions for sic (3 of 3)

sic3
/ (sɪk) /
determiner, adverb
a Scot word for such
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for sic

sic

A Latin word for “thus,” used to indicate that an apparent error is part of quoted material and not an editorial mistake: “The learned geographer asserts that ‘the capital of the United States is Washingtown [sic].’”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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