The abbreviation resp. has been used a number of times in the following paragraph:
For each of these problems (resp., tools), we start by presenting the
natural concern underlying it (resp., its intuitive objective), then
define the problem (resp., tool), and finally demonstrate that the
problem can be solved (resp., the tool can be constructed).
I am trying to understand what resp. means here (and many more times in the same book).
Trying to search using Google only confused me more, there are so many options.
Also please see this answer, which says that "resp." means "namely". Is this correct?
Best Answer
I suspect this is a mistranslation of German bzw. = beziehungsweise, which can mean either respectively or or as the case may be. The translator has taken a passage in which the latter sense is intended and substituted the conventional abbreviation of the former sense.
The latter sense has no convenient one-word English translation, much less an abbreviation. I have often regretted this, because bzw. is so useful.
It sort of works, but not so gracefully, if you just substitute or for resp.