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.

Origin of italic

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

OTHER WORDS FROM italic

non-I·tal·ic, adjective, noun

Example sentences from the Web for italic

British Dictionary definitions for italic (1 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, etc Compare 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

British Dictionary definitions for italic (2 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