loc. cit.

adv

"loc-cit" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“loc. cit.” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In the work (of the author specified) previously cited.

Corpus desk

Index EN-loc-cit · loc. cit. · English

loc. cit. · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for loc. cit.
PropertyValue
Headwordloc. cit.
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “loc. cit.” in English

loc. cit.ranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

loc. cit. is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In the work (of the author specified) previously cited.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for loc. cit., suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Abbreviation of Latin loco citato (“in the place cited”). The correct English form is loc. cit., spelled L-O-C-.- -C-I-T-..

Definition

  1. 1
    In the work (of the author specified) previously cited.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how loc. cit. appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. See Greer, (1973), loc. cit., 206.

Etymology

Abbreviation of Latin loco citato (“in the place cited”).

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "loc. cit."?
"loc. cit." is spelled L-O-C-.- -C-I-T-..
What does "loc. cit." mean?
As an adverb, "loc. cit." means: In the work (of the author specified) previously cited.
What is the origin of the word "loc. cit."?
Abbreviation of Latin loco citato (“in the place cited”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list