Italic
/ɪˈtælɪk/noun
Relating to Italy or its ancient peoples and languages, or denoting slanted typeface.
Did you know?The modern italic typeface was first cut around 1501 for Aldus Manutius’s Venetian press, modeled on the rapid cursive handwriting of Renaissance Italy.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ἰταλικός (Italikos)
“Of Italy; Italian”
Classical Latin
Latin
Italicus
“Of Italy or the Italic peoples”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
Italia
“Italy; the name of the Italian peninsula”
16th Century
Italian
italico
“Italian; associated with Italy”
1501
Italian
corsivo
“Slanting or running; the early Italian name for the new cursive type style”
17th Century
English
italic
“Slanting type modeled on an Italian printing style”
Modern English
English
italic
“Slanted type, or relating to Italy and its ancient languages”
Explore more surprising origins