italic
[ ih-tal-ik, ahy-tal- ]
/ ɪˈtæl ɪk, aɪˈtæl- /
|
adjective
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.
(initial capital letter) of or relating to Italy, especially ancient Italy or its tribes.
noun
Often italics. italic type.
(initial capital letter) a branch of the Indo-European family of languages, including ancient Latin, Oscan, Umbrian, and modern Romance.
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Nearby words
italianate, italianism, italianist, italianize, italianizer, italic, italicism, italicize, italics, italo-, italophile
Origin of italic
Related formsnon-I·tal·ic, adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for italics
British Dictionary definitions for italics (1 of 2)
Italic
/ (ɪˈtælɪk) /
noun
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
denoting, relating to, or belonging to this group of languages, esp the extinct ones
British Dictionary definitions for italics (2 of 2)
italic
/ (ɪˈtælɪk) /
adjective
Also: Italian of, relating to, or denoting a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
noun
a style of printing type modelled on this, chiefly used to indicate emphasis, a foreign word, etcCompare roman 1
(often plural) italic type or print
Word Origin for italic
C16 (after an edition of Virgil (1501) printed in Venice and dedicated to Italy): from Latin Italicus of Italy, from Greek Italikos
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for italics
italic
1610s (adj.), 1670s (n.) "italic type," from Latin italicus "Italian" (see Italian); so called because it was introduced in 1501 by Aldus Manutius, printer of Venice (who also gave his name to Aldine), and first used in an edition of Virgil dedicated to Italy. Earlier (1570s) the word was used for the plain, sloping style of handwriting, as opposed to Gothic. Related: Italics.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for italics
italics
Slanted letters that look like this: We the people. Italics are most often used to emphasize certain words, to indicate that they are in a foreign language, or to set off the title of a literary or artistic work.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.