What Is Inter Alia?

The phrase inter alia is used in law to mean "among other things."

Inter alia is a Latin phrase that translates to "among other things." The term inter alia is often used in legal documents or in minutes of business meetings when you need to indicate that the item you refer to is just one of many.

Origin

Inter alia comes from Latin. Inter translates to "among" (as in interpersonal, for example) and alia roughly translates to "many things."

Memory Aid

To help remember the meaning of the phrase inter alia, think of the more familiar word paraphernalia, which means a collection of things used for a common purpose.

Usage

Inter alia is an adverb and is used to describe how something was done or said. It is abbreviated as i.a.; not to be confused with i.e., the abbreviation for the Latin phrase "id est," which means "that is."

Uses in Law

Inter alia is often used in law documents to refer to something a lawyer or a judge wrote or said, when you need to make it clear that it was one comment among many and not necessarily of special importance.

Use in Business

You might see the term inter alia in minutes of business meetings, again used to mention something that was just one of many other items that were discussed.

References

• "Real Life Dictionary of the Law;" Gerald Hill and Kathleen Thompson Hill; 1995