italic

[ih-tal-ik, ahy-tal-]

adjective

1. designating or pertaining to a style of printing types in which the letters usually slope to the right, patterned upon a compact manuscript hand, and used for emphasis, to separate different kinds of information, etc..

   These words are in italic type.

2. (initial capital letter),  of or relating to Italy, especially ancient Italy or its tribes.

noun

1. Often italics. italic type.

2. (initial capital letter),  a branch of the Indo-European family of languages, including ancient Latin, Oscan, Umbrian, and modern Romance.

italic

¹

/ ɪˈtælɪk /

adjective

1. Also: Italian. of, relating to, or denoting a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right

noun

1. a style of printing type modelled on this, chiefly used to indicate emphasis, a foreign word, etc Compare roman 1

2. (often plural) italic type or print

Italic

²

/ ɪˈtælɪk /

noun

1. a branch of the Indo-European family of languages that includes many of the ancient languages of Italy, such as Venetic and the Osco-Umbrian group, Latin, which displaced them, and the Romance languages

adjective

1. denoting, relating to, or belonging to this group of languages, esp the extinct ones

Other Word Forms

• non-Italic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of italic¹

1555–65; < Latin Italicus < Greek Italikós, equivalent to Ital ( ía ) Italy + -ikos -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of italic¹

C16 (after an edition of Virgil (1501) printed in Venice and dedicated to Italy): from Latin Italicus of Italy, from Greek Italikos

Example Sentences

In italics, we are made privy to what Harris is thinking during their brief phone call: “Really?”

From Los Angeles Times

It’s also been reported that Bondi promptly fired him, issuing a Trumpian statement in boldface, italics, all caps, different font sizes and various colors:

From Salon

She goes against his precepts and disobeys his orders — they appear as onscreen italic titles — and he gets stroppy, as a father would.

From Los Angeles Times

The italics are mine, so put a pin on that phrase because it’s important.

From Los Angeles Times

“In small italic type under the photo, it said it came from a film called ‘Nosferatu’ ” — a film he’d never heard of.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• font