What does it mean when people write [sic]?

Sic is a Latin word, originally sicut meaning “thus”, “so”, or “just as that”. In writing, it is placed within square brackets and usually italicized — [sic] — to indicate that an incorrect or unusual spelling, phrase, punctuation, and/or other preceding quoted material has been reproduced verbatim from the quoted original and is not a transcription error.[via Wikipedia

Also heres its urban meaning

Check out: http://www.fluther.com/disc/671/where-does-the-term-sic-in-writing-come-from/

Im [sic] sure that you meant to write “I’m.” Or just Google sic.:-)

Heres [sic] another example. (Sorry, Mirza – I couldn’t resist.)

@gailcalled: were you ever an English teacher by any chance??

When you see a quotation that includes [sic], it indicates that there’s a mistake in the original. Usually, the mistake comes just before the [sic].

Sometimes the mistake is grammatical, but it doesn’t have to be.

I just wanted to reword that wikipedia entry. The only problem with Wikipedia is that it’s so awkwardly written that it’s painful to read. At least, for me.

as bob mentioned, it doesn’t need to be grammatical, and i just wanted to emphasize that (perhaps more contemporary?) usage to be sure you know about it and aren’t looking at a [sic] and searching endlessly for a mistake you don’t see. an author can use it to point out (in a very specific way, within the quote) that what was stated isn’t true or isn’t the way the author would have stated it (perhaps due to beliefs/politics, newer/better information, etc). in music, i see all the time something like ” as a composer, he [sic] must…” —i’m not sure how to explain it, but i guess to point out that composers aren’t all men and that this is exclusive. it’s not necessarily a ‘mistake’, but the author is pointing out that he/she is aware that it’s ‘incorrect’.

badly written, but i hope i conveyed the message.

@mirza; no but a fellow traveler. I have always been a ferocious and voracious reader, and writer, and been fascinated by not only my language, but many others. For years I was Director of College Placement at a Quaker school; there I read uncounted and often incoherent essays that 11th and 12th graders were going to submit to college.

I discovered that I had a good eye for minutiae and was a good editor. It’s probably like being able to sing on pitch, play piano by ear, see calculus as a transparent discipline, paint and draw well…some brain cells develop extra muscle, I guess.

I have written a lot of small and silly essays and a lot of PR for visual artists who show at our local Arts Center, a family news-letter and other small potatoes.

A year before I graduated from a college near Boston, I went to the graduation ceremonies at that other University near Boston. There were two words I did not know (apotheosis and anathema) in the school’s newspaper; I was shocked. Nevermore!