hypertext

American  

[hahy-per-tekst] / ˈhaɪ pərˌtɛkst /

noun

1. a method of storing data through a computer program that allows a user to create and link fields of information at will and to retrieve the data nonsequentially.

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hypertext British  

/ ˈhaɪpəˌtɛkst /

noun

1. computer software and hardware that allows users to create, store, and view text and move between related items easily and in a nonsequential way; a word or phrase can be selected to link users to another part of the same document or to a different document

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hypertext Scientific  

/ hī′pər-tĕkst′ /

1. A computer-based text retrieval system that enables a user to access particular locations or files in webpages or other electronic documents by clicking on links within specific webpages or documents.

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hypertext Cultural  

1. The entire chain of hyperlinks that connects a series of related Web pages.

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Etymology

Origin of hypertext

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Artist Martine Syms talks about her most recent installation “HelLA World,” why ‘Black speech is a hypertext language,’ and more.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2022

“Hypertext is niche because it needs that nontrivial effort to traverse the narrative. The irony is that more people are also navigating hypertext in the context of games: game wikis.”

From The Verge • Jul. 14, 2021

The result is something akin to cinematic hypertext, and thanks to Thompson’s steady hand, the brief but deep dives are richly rewarding.

From Washington Post • Jun. 29, 2021

I later noticed the CNN link was actually a hypertext link to IPaddress/myname.

From Slate • May 27, 2021

Lots... of programs use the Internet: electronic mail, for example, was around long before the global hypertext system I invented and called the World Wide Web.”

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman