e.g.
UK /ˌiːˈdʒiː/ · US /ˌiˈd͡ʒi/ adverb, noun
Forms eg e. g. e. gr. ex. gr.
- adverb An initialism used to introduce an illustrative example or short list of examples: for the sake of an example; for example. “Continents (e.g., Asia) contain many large bodies of water (e.g., lakes and inland seas) and many large flowing streams of water (i.e., rivers).”
- noun (informal, nonstandard, proscribed) An example. “Lemurs are an e.g. of a non-simian primate.”
Synonyms
Etymology
The adverb is a terser form of ex. gr., both abbreviating Latin exemplī grātiā (“for the sake of an example”); e.g. was also used as an abbreviation in Latin.
The noun is derived from the adverb.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “e.g.”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details