Back to all words

Stet

2 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a proofreader's instruction to ignore a marked correction

Where does the word "stet" come from? It comes from Latin stet, adopted directly into English (1750s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
stet
Latin · ancient
"let it stand"
'let it stand', from 'stāre', to stand
2
Stage 2 of 2
stet
English · 1750s
"let it stand"
written in the margin of proofs, with dots under the words to keep
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

Stet’s story begins in Latin: stet meant “let it stand.” 'let it stand', from 'stāre', to stand. It reached English by 1750s as stet. Written in the margin of proofs, with dots under the words to keep. Today, stet means a proofreader's instruction to ignore a marked correction.