italic

See also: Italic

English

A true italic font (bottom).

Alternative forms

• italick

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: ĭtălʹĭk, IPA^(key): /ɪˈtælɪk/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) enPR: ĭtălʹĭk, ītălʹĭk, IPA^(key): /ɪˈtælɪk/, /aɪˈtælɪk/

Adjective

italic (not comparable)

1. (typography, of a typeface or font) Designed to resemble a handwriting style developed in Italy in the 16th century.
2. (typography, of a typeface or font) Having letters that slant or lean to the right; oblique.

   The text was impossible to read: every other word was underlined or in a bold or italic font.

Usage notes

An oblique "italic" font.

• The sense of “oblique” is more recent, and still sometimes criticized, but is now by far the more common sense in everyday use.

Synonyms

• cursive
• oblique

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “oblique”): upright

Derived terms

• italicize
• italics

Translations

designed to resemble a handwriting style

• French: italique (fr)
• Hungarian: kurzív (hu)
• Portuguese: itálico (pt)

having a slant to the right

• Armenian: շեղ (hy) (šeġ)
• Bulgarian: курсивен (kursiven)
• Catalan: itàlica f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 斜體的／斜体的 (zh) (xiétǐ de)

• Dutch: cursief (nl)
• Finnish: kursiivi (fi), kursiivinen
• French: italique (fr)
• Galician: cursiva f
• German: kursiv (de)
• Greek: πλάγιος (el) (plágios)
• Hebrew: כתב נטוי m (ktav natúy)
• Hungarian: dőlt (hu)
• Indonesian: kursif (id), miring (id)
• Irish: iodálach
• Italian: corsivo (it) m, corsiva f
• Japanese: 斜体の (ja) (しゃたいの, shatai no)
• Ladino: italiko
• Maori: tītaha
• Portuguese: itálico (pt)
• Russian: курси́вный (ru) (kursívnyj), накло́нный (ru) (naklónnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: clò eadailteach
• Spanish: cursivo (es)
• Swedish: kursiv (sv)
• Turkish: italik (tr), eğik (tr), eğimli (tr)

See also

• roman
• boldface

Noun

italic (plural italics)

Calligraphy in italic.

1. (typography) A typeface in which the letters slant to the right.
   • 1902, Theodore Low DeVinne, The Practice of Typography: Correct Composition‎^[1], page 104:

     Names of vessels, as the Kearsarge or the Alabama, are frequently put in italic.

   • 1983, Ida M. Kimber, The Art of Lettering‎^[2], translation of original by Albert Kapr, page 329:

     […] ROBERT GRANJON, possibly in collaboration with CLAUDE GARAMOND, had created an italic which matched Garamond Roman.

2. An oblique handwriting style, such as used by Italian calligraphers of the Renaissance.
   • 1990, Albert Charles Hamilton, The Spenser Encyclopedia‎^[3], →ISBN, page 345:

     Spenser uses two different scripts: an Elizabethan secretary hand for English texts, and an italic 'mixed' with secretary graphs for Latin texts […]

Translations

typeface whose letters slant to the right

• Armenian: շղատառ (hy) (šġataṙ), շղագիր (hy) (šġagir)
• Bulgarian: курсив (bg) m (kursiv)
• Catalan: cursiva (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 斜體／斜体 (zh) (xiétǐ)

• Faroese: skákskrift f, skráskrift f
• Finnish: kursiivi (fi)
• French: italique (fr)
• German: Kursivschrift (de) f, Kursivdruck m
• Greek: πλάγιος χαρακτήρας m (plágios charaktíras)
• Icelandic: skáletur n
• Irish: cló iodálach m, iodálaigh m pl
• Japanese: 斜体 (ja) (しゃたい, shatai), イタリック (ja) (itarikku)
• Maori: tuhi tītaha
• Polish: kursywa (pl) f
• Portuguese: itálico (pt) m
• Russian: курси́в (ru) m (kursív)
• Scottish Gaelic: clò eadailteach m
• Spanish: cursiva (es) f, itálica (es) f, letra bastardilla (es) f
• Swedish: kursiv (sv) c
• Turkish: italik (tr)

Related terms

• Italian
• Italic
• italical

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French italique, from Latin italicus. By surface analysis, Italia +‎ -ic.

Adjective

italic m or n (feminine singular italică, masculine plural italici, feminine and neuter plural italice)

1. italic
2. Italic

Declension

Declension of italic

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	italic		italică	italici	italice
	definite	italicul		italica	italicii	italicele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	italic		italice	italici	italice
	definite	italicului		italicei	italicilor	italicelor