Italic Meaning
/ɪˈtælɪk/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjDesigned to resemble a handwriting style developed in Italy in the 16th century.
adjHaving letters that slant or lean to the right; oblique.
Sentence Examples
The italic text stood out on the page.
She preferred to write in italic script.
Please write the botanical names in italic font.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ typeface, which leans to the right, is used for titles.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The book use ____ fonts for the titles of all the different chapters to make them stand out.
Word Origin & History
Named after the nation of Italy, as it was first used by an Italian printer, Aldo Manuzio, around 1500. Literally Italy + -ic.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Names of vessels, as the Kearsarge or the Alabama, are frequently put in italic."
— 1902, Theodore Low DeVinne, The Practice of Typography: Correct Composition, page 104:
"[…] ROBERT GRANJON, possibly in collaboration with CLAUDE GARAMOND, had created an italic which matched Garamond Roman."
— 1983, Ida M. Kimber, The Art of Lettering, translation of original by Albert Kapr, page 329:
"Spenser uses two different scripts: an Elizabethan secretary hand for English texts, and an italic 'mixed' with secretary graphs for Latin texts […]"
— 1990, Albert Charles Hamilton, The Spenser Encyclopedia, →ISBN, page 345:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ typeface, which leans to the right, is used for titles.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The book use ____ fonts for the titles of all the different chapters to make them stand out.