id est

8.2

To give a more exact explanation

idiom
/aɪd ɛst/

Formal

: es decir

She was late to the meeting, id est, she missed the important discussion at the start.

Examples

E.g., Brimble, not i.e. I.e. means id est, which is Latin for "in other words."

Office Uprising (2018)
The project was a failure, id est, it did not meet any of the original goals set.
He decided to withdraw from the competition, id est, he felt he was not prepared enough to win.

Synonyms

in other words

vsid est

275 2.7

To say something in a clearer way

gives a concise exact clarification rather than a restatement in different words

namely

vsid est

167 3.6

To give one or more examples of something just mentioned

focuses on a formal exact clarification rather than casual specification

that is to say

vsid est

37 3.5

To say something more clearly

is used as a concise Latin clarification rather than a plain English phrase

to wit

vsid est

Archaic

8 8.7

Introduces specific examples or details that follow

is the neutral modern Latin phrase used to give precise clarification

i.e.

vsid est

Formal

3.6

To explain something just mentioned more clearly, giving the exact meaning

is the full Latin expression often written in full form

viz.

vsid est

Archaic

8.0

Shows a specific example or explanation that follows

is the general Latin phrase used to clarify or restate precisely

videlicet

vsid est

Archaic

9.9

To give specific examples or names

is a shorter clarification used more widely, not only for lists

Surface Forms

id est positive

Morphology

id + est

The Latin constituents literally mean 'it/this' (id) + 'is' (est), so the phrase compositionally yields 'that is' or 'that is to say'; a learner who knows those constituent meanings can directly infer the clarifying/explanatory sense. Its function is cross-linguistically common and is routinely used in English as the abbreviation 'i.e.', which further supports its predictability for learners who recognize the parts.

Etymology

The phrase id est comes from two Latin words: id meaning 'that' and est meaning 'is'. Imagine someone saying 'that is' to make a point clearer, so we use id est today to give a short, clear explanation.