Highlighters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of marker designed to emphasize text with vibrant colors
2. Useful for studying and annotating important information in books or notes
3. Often used by students and professionals to visually differentiate information on paper

Etymology: The highlighter pen is a modern invention, and its name is a plain compound: "highlight" plus the agent suffix "-er," meaning a thing that does the highlighting. The first half is itself a compound of "high" and "light." "High" comes down from Old English "hēah," and "light," in the sense of a bright spot or illumination, from Old English "lēoht." Put together, a highlight was first a patch of bright light, especially in painting and photography, before it came to mean a prominent or striking part of anything. The verb "highlight," meaning to make something stand out, is a later extension of that noun sense, and the "-er" ending simply turns the verb into a name for the tool. The pen is named for the act of drawing attention to text, not for the colour it leaves, though the bright, translucent ink is what makes the name fit.

Synonyms: marker, highlighter pen, fluorescent pen