italic1
/ɪˈtalɪk
/adjective
1Of the sloping kind of typeface used especially for emphasis or distinction and in foreign words.Much of it is in an italic typeface, like interior thoughts or private conversation within a larger novel....
- She speaks deliberately and methodically, but enthusiastically, with an italic emphasis on seemingly random words.
- It also calls for authors to use their word processing functions and ‘show it like it is,’ at least for words that need to be displayed in bold or italic type.
1.1(Of handwriting) modelled on 16th-century Italian handwriting, typically cursive and sloping and with elliptical or pointed letters.The annotations also mix Spanish, Italian and French with English, as well as secretary with italic handwriting....
- I held it up to the light and read the slightly smudged neat italic handwriting.
- I saw a diary with curly italic writing on it.
noun
(also italics) [mass noun] An italic typeface or letter: the key words are in italics...
- Could you please be careful with the quotation marks, bold face and italics?
- This means that the user will be able to combine italics, bold and underlined font if needed.
- The species name is called the epithet of the species, and they are always printed in italics, by convention.
Origin
Late Middle English (in the general sense 'Italian'): via Latin from Greek Italikos, from Italia 'Italy'. Senses relating to writing date from the early 17th century.
Rhymes
Italic2
/ɪˈtalɪk/adjective
Relating to or denoting the branch of Indo-European languages that includes Latin, Oscan, Umbrian, and the Romance languages.The Romans, with seven cases, began their expansionist career by defeating speakers of other Italic languages, such as Faliscan, Oscan, and Umbrian, all of which had the same or fewer cases....
- The Celtic languages are most closely related to the Italic group of languages and somewhat more remotely to the Germanic.
- Indeed, many of the works he discusses ‘form a coherent part of the Italic narrative in North America’.
noun [mass noun]
The Italic group of languages.Alliterative meter also seems to predominate in the very earliest texts from the third western branch of Indo-European, Italic.
Origin
Late 19th century: via Latin from Greek Italikos, from Italia 'Italy'.