The Answer:

From the Infoplease Dictionary: "so; thus: usually written parenthetically to denote that a word, phrase, passage, etc., that may appear strange or incorrect has been written intentionally or has been quoted verbatim."

That means, if there is a word that was misspelled or misused (or would look as if it were misused) in a passage you wish to quote, you can follow it with "sic" to indicate that you are not the one making the mistake.

—The Editors