Italics

How to spell italics

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce italics

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does italics mean?

1. nounA style of type in which the letters slope to the right, used for emphasis, titles, or foreign words.

Italics in a sentence

• The style guide says book titles should be set in italics.

• She put the key warning in bold italics so readers would notice it.

Where does italics come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to Italia, the Latin name for Italy, by way of the adjective italicus, meaning 'of Italy' or 'Italian'. The connection to slanted type is wonderfully specific: around the year 1500 the Venetian printer Aldus Manutius and his punchcutter Francesco Griffo developed a compact, sloping typeface modelled on the elegant cursive handwriting of Italian Renaissance scribes. Because the design came out of Italy, English printers came to call the style 'italic', and the plural noun 'italics' for the slanted letters themselves was in regular use by the early 1600s. The same Italia root sits behind the everyday words 'Italian' and 'Italy', which is a useful reminder that the single 'l' and the 't-a-l spelling come straight from the country's name. The main trap is simply hearing the unstressed middle syllable and doubling a letter that should stay single.

How the word is built

• ital- (from Italic: of Italy)
• -ic (adjective)
• -s (plural noun ending)