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Added 8 October 2026

italic

/ɪˈtælɪk/ noun

First recorded: 1500 Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about italic at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right.
A branch of the Indo-European languages of which Latin is the chief representative.
A typeface with letters slanting upward to the right.

adjective

Characterized by slanting characters.
italic characters
Of or relating to the Italic languages.
ancient Italic dialects

Origin

Named after the nation of Italy, as it was first used by an Italian printer, Aldo Manuzio, around 1500. Literally Italy + -ic.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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