Sometimes mistaken for the similar abbreviation e.g., i.e. stands for the Latin phrase id est, which literally translates to that is. It is most often used to add information that states something in different words or to give a more specific example: Most of the puppies (i.e., four of the six) found homes over the weekend. Many English speakers may not realize how often English words are actually taken, verbatim, from both ancient and modern languages. Latin, in particular, has been extremely influential not only in the romance languages, such as French, Spanish, and Italian but also in today’s English. It may come as a surprise to learn that English speakers use common Latin phrases every day, most recognizably in the sciences.

Source: Writing Prompts