Italicizes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To apply slanted or angled style to text for emphasis ; to mark words with italics to distinguish them in print or digital media ; to transform letters so they lean to the right to highlight or differentiate
2. To render printed or typed letters in a sloping font style used for stress or titles ; to emphasize text by slanting characters from the upright position ; to format words in a typographical style that tilts rightward to set them apart
3. To change text appearance by sloping characters for emphasis or distinction ; to denote importance or foreign words by slanting letters ; to alter regular font to an italicized form that leans right for effect

Etymology: The verb "italicizes" is simply the third-person singular form of "italicize," so its story is the story of that verb. "Italic" comes from "Italia," the Latin name for the peninsula, and the adjective was applied to the slanted type because the style was associated with Italian printing. The notion that the typeface was invented in Italy is widely repeated, but the sloped letters were modelled on handwriting, and the typeface was popularised by the Venetian printer Aldus Manutius, who used it in small, cheap editions. The verb itself is built from "italic" and the suffix "-ize," which English took from Greek "-izein" through Late Latin "-izare" and Old French "-iser." The suffix turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make or treat in a certain way," so to italicize is to put text into italic type. The formation is entirely English, a modern coinage on an old suffix, rather than a word that has passed unchanged through centuries of use.

Synonyms: emphasizes, highlights, underlines, accentuates, stresses

Antonyms: deemphasizes, downplays, ignores, neglects, omits