italic
UK[ɪˈtælɪk]US[ɪˈtælɪk]
adj
Of or relating to a style of printing type in which the letters slope to the right.
adj
Of or relating to ancient Italy, especially its pre-Roman peoples and languages.
Morpheme Breakdown
Ital
ic
Ital
Italy
ic
adjective suffix
Etymology
The word 'italic' originates from the Latin Italicus, meaning "of Italy." This term was first applied to a style of slanted typeface in the early 16th century, as it was introduced by the Venetian printer Aldus Manutius and used in an edition of Virgil dedicated to Italy. The design was inspired by a cursive, humanist handwriting style favored by Italian scholars of the Renaissance. Thus, the literal meaning "pertaining to Italy" evolved into the modern typographical sense, denoting a distinctive style of lettering associated with Italian innovation in printing.
Analysis
Structure: Ital (Italy) + ic (adjective suffix)
Ital (from Latin Italicus, from Italia "Italy") + ic (from Latin -icus, a suffix forming adjectives, often indicating belonging or relation).
Examples
The key terms in the textbook are printed in italic type for emphasis.
She used an italic font to give the document a more elegant appearance.
The ancient italic languages, such as Oscan and Umbrian, were spoken before the rise of Latin.