Outdenting

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A technique involving the arrangement of text in a layout that shifts margins to create visual emphasis or clarity
2. a method used to adjust paragraphs or sections away from the standard indenting format
3. an approach in typography that enhances readability by moving lines of text further to the left than the standard indentation

Etymology: "Outdenting" is a word built by analogy. It is the present participle and gerund of "outdent," which was modelled on "indent." English speakers took the familiar "in-" of "indent" and swapped it for its opposite, "out," producing a term for the reverse of an inward indentation. The pattern is simple but revealing. "Indent" itself comes from the idea of a notch or cut into an edge, and "outdent" keeps that structure while reversing the direction of the movement. Because the new word depends entirely on the older one, its meaning is easiest to grasp by picturing the indent first: a line pushed in from the margin, and an outdent pushed out past it.