et

et — abbreviation

1. used in the citation form 'et al.' after a surname to show that a book, article,

1.abbreviationB2
Definition

used in the citation form 'et al.' after a surname to show that a book, article, or study had other authors besides the one named.

Example

The report lists Park et al. as the first source on page nine.

surname + et al. in a source citation

In her essay, Sirin quoted Ahmed et al. on climate policy.

used inside academic writing and citation discussion

Common collocations
  • [surname] et al.
  • according to [surname] et al.
  • cite [surname] et al.
Synonyms
  • and others

    plain English wording, used outside formal citation style

  • and colleagues

    ordinary prose for co-workers or collaborators, not a set citation marker

Grammar Patterns

[surname] et al.

Usage Note

Almost always follows a surname inside a reference or in-text citation, and it usually appears as part of 'et al.' with a period after 'al.'. Use it in formal academic or legal writing, not in ordinary conversation.

Common Mistakes

I spoke to Park et al. after class.
I spoke to Park and the other authors after class.
'et al.' is a citation label in writing, not the normal way to name people in conversation.

Synonym discussion

Sense: abbreviation/1

'Et al.' is a fixed citation label, not an ordinary part of everyday grammar. Writers use it after one surname when a source has more authors than they want to list in full. 'And others' gives the same basic meaning in plain English, but it sounds explanatory rather than bibliographic. 'And colleagues' is more personal and usually refers to people working together, not specifically to co-authors in a formal reference. If you are writing a paper, note, or footnote, 'et al.' is the standard compact form. If you are speaking or writing ordinary prose, 'and others' is usually clearer.

et al.and othersand colleagues

Common collocations

Phrases

  • [surname] et al.
  • according to [surname] et al.
  • [surname] et al. argue

Etymology

LatinEnglish

'Et' comes from Latin, where it simply means 'and'. In modern English it survives mainly inside traditional scholarly abbreviations such as 'et al.' ('and others'), which English borrowed from Latin citation practice.

First known use

1981

1981, in the meaning defined above