italic

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: i=tal=ic

CIDE DICTIONARY

italic, a. [L. Italicus: cf. F. italique. Cf. Italian.].

•  Relating to Italy or to its people.  [1913 Webster]
•  Applied especially to a kind of type in which the letters do not stand upright, but slope toward the right; -- so called because dedicated to the States of Italy by the inventor, Aldus Manutius, about the year 1500.  [1913 Webster]

Italic languages, the group or family of languages of ancient Italy. -- Italic order (Arch.), the composite order. See Composite. -- Italic school, a term given to the Pythagorean and Eleatic philosophers, from the country where their doctrines were first promulgated. -- Italic version. See Itala.

italic, n. 

 An Italic letter, character, or type (see Italic, a., 2.); -- often in the plural; as, the Italics are the author's. Italic letters are used to distinguish words for emphasis, importance, antithesis, etc. Also, collectively, Italic letters.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

italic, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 a Printing of the sloping kind of letters now used esp. for emphasis or distinction and in foreign words. b (of handwriting) compact and pointed like early Italian handwriting.
2 (Italic) of ancient Italy.
--n.
1 a letter in italic type.
2 this type.

Etymology

L italicus f. Gk italikos Italian (because introduced by Aldo Manuzio of Venice)

THESAURUS

italic

ascender, autograph, autographic, back, bastard type, beard, belly, bevel, black letter, body, calligraphic, cap, capital, case, chirographic, counter, cursive, descender, em, en, engrossed, face, fat-faced type, feet, flowing, font, graphic, graphoanalytic, graphologic, graphometric, groove, holograph, holographic, in longhand, in shorthand, in writing, inscribed, italicized, letter, ligature, logotype, longhand, lower case, majuscule, manuscript, minuscule, nick, on paper, penciled, penned, pi, pica, point, print, printed, roman, running, sans serif, script, scriptorial, scriptural, shank, shorthand, shoulder, small cap, small capital, stamp, stem, stylographic, type, type body, type class, type lice, typecase, typeface, typefounders, typefoundry, upper case, written