ditto

¹dit·to

noun \ˈdi-(ˌ)tō\

plural dittos

Definition of DITTO

1

: a thing mentioned previously or above —used to avoid repeating a word —often symbolized by inverted commas or apostrophes

2

: a ditto mark

Examples of DITTO

1. Until recently most of us believed that such regimens, which usually require a personal trainer, were available only to women whose bodies are their fortune (think Madonna), or who have nothing better to do with their time (ditto). —Jennifer Newman,Elle, June 1993
2. Flexner is especially good at showing how misguided attempts to repair furniture can cause more problems than they solve. Using a nail instead of glue to tighten a loose leg on an old chair (as I myself have done) will often destroy the chair, by splitting the wood and ruining the joint (ditto). —David Owen, Atlantic, September 1989
3. David is not exactly a crank who writes to writers, although he is probably a bit of that too. I don't know how he gets his living, or whether his letters romanticize either his proverty (he reports only a hunger for books) or his passion (ditto); still, David is a free intellect, a free imagination. —Cynthia Ozick, New York Times Book Review, 25 Mar. 1984

Origin of DITTO

Italian ditto, detto, past participle of dire to say, from Latin dicere — more at diction

First Known Use: circa 1639

Other Printing Terms

epigraph, errata, leader, mechanical, notch, tittle, underscore, widow