infra

Infra is a Latin adverb meaning below or beneath. In academic and legal writing, infra is used as a cross-reference to material that appears later in the document. It is common in court opinions, statutes, and scholarly articles. The term is typically abbreviated as infra and is paired with a reference such as see infra note 4 or infra § 5. The opposite term is supra, meaning above, used to reference material earlier in the text. The usage helps avoid repetition of lengthy citations and allows the reader to navigate to a later discussion.

Etymology and scope: infra derives from Latin and dates back to manuscript traditions where authors directed readers to lower sections of a text. In modern practice, infra citations are a standard feature of many legal opinions in common-law jurisdictions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Other considerations: outside formal legal and academic writing, infra is not generally used as a standalone concept. It is sometimes recognized as part of the broader prefix infra-, seen in words such as infrared or infrastructure, but as a marker its primary role in formal texts remains as a cross-reference rather than a substantive term. In that sense, infra functions as a navigational device rather than a standalone topic.

See also: supra, cross-references in legal writing, infrastructure terminology.