Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Latin
Origin: italicus 'Italian', from Greek italikos, from Italia 'Italy'; because these letters were introduced by a 16th-century Italian printer, Aldus Manutius

italics

 noun
     
Related topics: Newspapers, Publishing
i‧tal‧ics [plural]
TCN a type of printed letters that lean to the right, often used to emphasize particular words
in italics
This example is written in italics.
➔ roman
—italic adjective:
italic script
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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