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exempli gratia

/ɪgˈzɛmpli ˈgrɑʃiə/
IPA guide

In case you’ve ever wondered what the common abbreviation e.g. stands for, it's short for the Latin phrase exempli gratia, which means "for the sake of example." Say it in Latin if you want to sound brilliant!

Latin is considered a "dead language" — a language no longer used in everyday speech by native speakers. But Latin phrases like exempli gratia live on in many languages, including English. When abbreviating exempli gratia as shorthand for the phrase for example, periods are placed after the e and the g, and a comma follows — e.g., as shown here: "There are many kinds of wild cats — e.g., lions, tigers, lynx, and leopards."

Definitions of exempli gratia
  1. adjective
    for example
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