Texte

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A piece of written or printed material that conveys information or ideas; the main body of words in a book, article, or document; the exact wording used in any form of writing
2. Any sequence of written characters that communicates meaning; the content of a written work differentiated from images or other elements; a passage or section from a book, speech, or other medium
3. Written language intended to be read, including sentences and paragraphs that form communication; the actual words of a document or discourse distinct from formatting; a selection of words arranged to express thoughts or facts

Etymology: The word comes from Latin "textus," meaning a woven thing or fabric, and it is built from "texere," "to weave." That is the whole metaphor: writing was imagined as threads interlaced into a fabric of meaning. The Latin noun was used for the body of a text and for the Scriptures, and English took it up in the Middle Ages, first meaning the wording of a document or the Bible itself. A close relative shows the same weaving image. "Textile" comes from the same Latin root, and "context," literally "a joining together," shares the verb "texere" with a prefix attached. In English, the word once carried the sense of an original wording as opposed to a commentary or translation, which is why people speak of a text versus its footnotes.

Synonyms: text, script

Antonyms: image, audio