sic

¹

or sick

[ sik ]

verb (used with object)

sicced or sicked [sikt],siccing or sicking

1. to attack (used especially in commanding a dog):

   Sic 'em!

2. to incite to attack (usually followed by on ).

sic

²

[ sik ]

adjective

, Chiefly Scot.

1. such.

sic

³

[ seek; English sik ]

adverb

, Latin.

1. so; thus: usually written parenthetically to denote that a word, phrase, passage, etc., that may appear strange or incorrect has been written intentionally or has been quoted verbatim:

   He signed his name as e. e. cummings (sic).

SIC

⁴

U.S. Government.

1. Standard Industrial Classification: a system used by the federal government to classify business activities for analytical and reporting purposes.

Sic.

⁵

abbreviation for

1. Sicilian.
2. Sicily.

sic

¹

/ sɪk /

determiner

1. a Scot word for such

sic

²

/ sɪk /

adverb

1. so or thus: inserted in brackets in a written or printed text to indicate that an odd or questionable reading is what was actually written or printed

sic

³

/ sɪk /

verb

1. to turn on or attack: used only in commands, as to a dog
2. to urge (a dog) to attack

sic

1. A Latin word for “thus,” used to indicate that an apparent error is part of quoted material and not an editorial mistake: “The learned geographer asserts that ‘the capital of the United States is Washingtown [ sic ].’”

Word History and Origins

Origin of sic¹

First recorded in 1835–45; variant of seek

Origin of sic²

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English (north and Scots); such

Origin of sic³

First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin sīc

Word History and Origins

Origin of sic¹

Latin

Origin of sic²

C19: dialect variant of seek

Example Sentences

Or why they’ve been so listless in their coverage of Trump’s threats to sic the military on the “enemy within”?

From Salon

To thwart these supposed threats, which he calls more dangerous than Russia, China or Iran, Trump suggests he’d sic the National Guard or military on them.

From Los Angeles Times

He railed against Trump's recent assertion that he would sic the military on dissenters if he were allowed back into office, something that Trump opponent Kamala Harris also touched on in a recent, contentious interview with Fox News.

From Salon

When Harris admonished former President Trump over suggestions that he’d sic the military on his political opponents, Baier aired a portion of a Trump interview that omitted his comments against “the enemy from within.”

From Salon

Frederico Morais, the head of SNCGP, told Portugal's SIC Noticias news channel that the inmates were extremely dangerous and the public should not approach them.

From BBC

Related Words

• actually
• completely
• directly
• plainly
• precisely
• really
• simply
• truly