Ceterus

Ceterus is a Latin adjective meaning "the other" or "the remaining." In classical Latin it occurs in agreement with the noun it describes and can function in coordinated phrases where unlisted items are implied. The neuter plural form cetera is especially familiar in the Latin substantive phrase et cetera, meaning "and the rest."

Etymology and forms: Ceterus derives from Proto-Italic roots related to the idea of the remainder. In Latin, it follows the standard -us/-a/-um adjective endings, yielding masculine singular ceterus, feminine singular cetera, and neuter singular ceterum; in the plural, forms such as ceteri, ceterae, cetera appear, with cetera commonly serving as the neuter plural used in the well-known phrase et cetera.

Usage and examples: In Latin, ceterus appears in contexts like ceteri viri, meaning "the other men." The phrase et cetera uses cetera as a neuter plural noun meaning "the rest." The derivative phrase ceteris paribus, meaning "all other things being equal," demonstrates the neuter plural form used in grammatical cases. In English, ceterus itself is rarely used outside discussions of Latin grammar; English commonly adopts et cetera or the longer Latin expressions in scholarly writing.

Modern status: Today, ceterus is primarily encountered in linguistic, historical, or philological discussions of Latin. It is not a term with independent meaning in contemporary disciplines, but its forms appear in classic Latin quotations and in explanations of Latin phrases that have entered common usage.

See also: et cetera; cetera; cetera as used in phrases like ceterae and ceteris paribus.