Intertext
/ˈɪn.tər.tɛkst/noun
A text that is shaped by, or refers to, other texts.
Did you know?Intertext comes from Latin inter- (“between”) + textus (“woven”), so the word itself carries the ancient idea that writing is something threaded together, not created in isolation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
[?25lteks-
“to weave, make, or construct”
Latin
Latin
textus
“woven fabric; a thing woven together; later, a written composition”
Latin
Latin
inter
“between, among”
20th Century
English
intertext
“a text formed in relation to other texts, especially through allusion or quotation”
Modern English
English
intertext
“a work or passage that depends on or refers to other texts”