The word "dittos" is often misspelled as "dittoes" due to the confusion caused by the pronunciation of its last syllable. The correct spelling of "dittos" reflects its pronunciation, which is /ˈdɪt.oʊz/ (DIT-ohz) in IPA phonetic transcription. The word is derived from the Italian word "detto," meaning "said" or "the same," and refers to a duplicate or repetition. Despite its popularity, the word seems to have fallen out of common usage in recent times.
Dittos is a slang term that is predominantly used in informal conversation or written communication. It can function as both a noun and a verb, referring to the duplication or repetition of something, often with an emphasis on agreement or similarity.
As a noun, dittos refers to copies or reproductions of a particular thing or information. It can imply the exact replication of a document, artwork, or other media. This term can also be used to express agreement or acknowledgement, serving as a casual way to say "same" or "likewise" in response to someone else's statement or sentiment.
When used as a verb, to ditto means to replicate or repeat something, usually to indicate agreement with someone else's statement or action. It can convey the notion of echoing or copying a previous remark, action, or sentiment precisely.
The origin of the term "dittos" can be traced back to the practice of duplicating text or images using a machine called a "ditto machine" that was popular during the mid-20th century. These machines created copies by transferring ink through a stencil onto paper, resulting in a purple or blue color. The term "dittos" eventually became associated with the duplicated copies produced by such machines, and later evolved into a more general slang term for repetition or agreement.
The word "dittos" has a somewhat uncertain etymology. It originated in the late 19th century as a shortened form of the word "ditto", which itself comes from Italian "detto", meaning "said" or "stated". "Ditto" initially gained usage in the English language as a way to represent a repeated word or passage in written texts, often by underlining it or using quotation marks. It was commonly used in fields such as bookkeeping and legal documents.
Over time, the plural form "dittos" emerged, referring to multiple instances or duplicates of something. The precise reason for the formation of "dittos" as a plural form instead of simply using "dittoes" or "dittos" is unclear. It may have been influenced by similar irregular plural forms ending in "-os" or "-oes" in English, such as "potatoes" or "heroes".