Also known as: videlicet · namely · that is to say
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
An abbreviation for the Latin videlicet employed to introduce specific examples or particulars that elaborate a preceding general statement.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Viktor Voronin sold equipment to Vertex Pharmaceuticals under a multistate contract. The agreement listed several states with potential contacts, viz., the place of delivery, the parties' domiciles, and the location of performance. A dispute arose over which state's property rules governed title passage.
Veronica Varela petitioned for a writ after the Secretary withheld her commission. The court identified the precise duties at issue, viz., sealing and delivering the document once signed. The facts showed the appointment process had reached finality.
Valerie Voss sued the railroad after an injury on a permissive path. The federal court examined the applicable state precedents, viz., those defining duties to pedestrians on the right of way. The analysis turned on whether federal procedure displaced the state rule.
Vivian Vaughn recovered compensatory damages for misrepresentation. The jury added punitive damages based on several aggravating facts, viz., the scale of the deception and the defendant's knowledge of harm. The court reviewed whether the ratio exceeded constitutional limits.
Vera Vu faced questioning while in custody. Officers recited the required advisements, viz., the right to remain silent and the right to counsel. The record showed no waiver occurred before the statements were taken.
Virgil Vaughn challenged a city ordinance that took a strip of land. The proceedings examined the required procedures, viz., notice, hearing, and compensation determination. The court assessed whether the city's action satisfied due process.
It introduces a list of specific examples that clarify a general statement, such as naming particular states or duties in a choice-of-law analysis.
No. Viz. means namely and introduces particulars, while i.e. means that is and restates the same idea in different words.
It remains acceptable when used to specify items in a list, but contemporary style favors plain English equivalents such as namely or that is.
…entitled. A justice of the peace in the District of Columbia is not removable at the will of the President. At the last term, viz. December term, 1801, William Marbury, Dennis Ramsay, Robert Townsend Hooe, and William Harper, by their counsel Charles Lee, late Attorney General of the United States, severally moved the…