Sic

Sic is a Latin word, originally sicut meaning "thus", "so", or "just as that". In writing, it is placed within square brackets and usually italicizedsic] — to indicate that an incorrect or unusual spelling, phrase, punctuation, and/or other preceding quoted material has been reproduced verbatim from the quoted original and is not a transcription error.

The word sic may be used either to show that an uncommon or archaic usage is reported faithfully: for instance, quoting the U.S. Constitution:

sic]" in the inner quote was added by the writer of the second text or the writer of the third text, or whether the anomaly highlighted was introduced by the first writer or the second.

The word sic is sometimes erroneously thought to be an acronym from any of a vast number of phrases such as "spelling is correct", "same in copy", "spelled incorrectly", "said in context", or "sans intention comique" (French: without comic intent). These "backronyms" are all false etymologies.