ditto

First attested in 1625. From regional Italian ditto, variant of detto, past participle of dire (“to say”), from Latin dīcō (“I say, I speak”). Not related to Italian dito (“finger”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪtəʊ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪtoʊ/, [ˈdɪɾoʊ]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

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• Rhymes: -ɪtəʊ

ditto (plural dittos or dittoes)

1. That which was stated before, the aforesaid, the above, the same, likewise.
   • Charles Dickens

     A spacious table in the centre, and a variety of smaller dittos in the corners.

   • 1967, DeForest Kelley, Star Trek, The Alternative Factor, season 1, episode 27:

     Well say he's got the constitution of a dinosaur, recuperative powers ditto. And as we both know, I'm a bright young medic with a miraculous touch. Well why then, when I returned, there wasn't a trace of that wound on his forehead. Not even a bruise. It was like he had never been injured.

   • 2008 May 22, “New 'Indiana' film whips up plenty of thrills”, in Hudson (MA) MetroWest Daily News:

     The opening shot of "Crystal Skull" shows the playful side of director Steven Spielberg, who seems to have a weak spot for cute animals. See "AI Artificial Intelligence" for Exhibit A. Ditto for executive producer George Lucas. See "Return of the Jedi" for Exhibit B.

   • 2009 July 3, “Andy Murray: easy to admire, but can we learn to love him?”, in Times Online:

     He has created for himself a honed, primed-for-victory body and is working hard on a ditto mind.

2. (informal) A duplicate or copy of a document, particularly one created by a spirit duplicator.

   Please run off twenty-four dittos of this assignment, for my students.

3. A copy; an imitation.
   • 1991, N. Romano-Benner, “Convoking the muses of Cuenca”, in Americas, volume 43, number 1, page 6:

     "You've got to look good to feel good," she announces, a ditto of television slogans.

   • 2003, “Argenta appears unfazed”, in Herald & Review:

     Last year, Argenta-Oreana blanked the Chiefs 23-0 in a second-round game Dee-Mack coach Jim McDonald said was "pretty much a ditto" of what transpired Saturday.

   • 2009, “Brunswick school hopes to be model for uniforms”, in Myrtle Beach Sun News:

     The intent of the policy, she said, is "not to put everybody in a ditto environment," where all are expected to look and act exactly like all others.

4. A symbol, represented by two apostrophes, inverted commas, or quotation marks (" "), when indicating that the item preceding is to be repeated.
5. (historical, in the plural) A suit of clothes of the same colour throughout.

• (symbol): ditto mark, do (abbreviation)

ditto (comparative more ditto, superlative most ditto)

1. As said before, likewise.

ditto (third-person singular simple present dittos, present participle dittoing, simple past and past participle dittoed)

1. (transitive) To repeat the aforesaid, the earlier action etc.
   • 1989, K. K. N. Kurup, Agrarian struggles in Kerala

     The Communists believed that Prakasam, the Prime Minister, never tried to check the bureaucracy but dittoed every action of the corrupt officials and police.

• ape
• echo

ditto

1. Used to show agreement with what another person has said, or to indicate that what they have said equally applies to the person being addressed.
   • Boy: "I'm really busy today!"
   • Girl: "Ditto!"
   • 1872, Lewis Carroll, “Chapter IV: Tweedledum and Tweedledee”, in Through The Looking Glass:

     "Besides, if I'm only a sort of thing in his dream, what are you, I should like to know?" "Ditto," said Tweedledum. "Ditto, ditto!" cried Tweedledee.

• suit of dittoes
• ditto suit

ditto m (plural dittos)

1. Obsolete spelling of dito

ditto m (feminine singular ditta, masculine plural dittos, feminine plural dittas, comparable)

1. Obsolete spelling of dito

ditto

1. Obsolete spelling of dito