What does the term stet mean in legal drafting?

• A. It means to delete the text.
• B. It means see above.
• C. Latin for 'let it stand'; indicates a change should be disregarded or text remains as originally drafted.
• D. It is used to indicate a new section.

Answer: (C)

Stet is a drafting directive that tells you to leave the text as it originally appeared. It comes from Latin, meaning “let it stand.” In practice, an editor may propose a change or deletion, but then decide not to implement it. Writing or circling “stet” signals that the original wording should remain, effectively disregarding the proposed edit. This is common in redlines or tracked changes, where a mark to delete or modify is canceled by declaring “stet” so the prior language stays intact. The other ideas—deleting text, referencing something above, or signaling a new section—don’t fit, because stet’s purpose is to keep what was originally drafted rather than remove or introduce new content.