Unhighlight

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Removes the colored marking or emphasis that has been applied to a section of text or an image
2. Takes away the bright highlight previously added to words so they appear in their ordinary color
3. Strips the emphasis from a passage by clearing the color or shading that had marked it out

Etymology: "Unhighlight" is a plain formation: the prefix "un-", meaning "reverse or undo an action," attached to "highlight." The verb is therefore built the way English has long built reversing verbs, such as "unlock" or "unfold," from a base verb already in use. The base "highlight" is itself a modern compound. It combines "high" with "light," and in its earliest sense it meant a bright, prominent area in a picture or a lit area of a surface. Its later sense, marking a passage of text with a translucent colour, came with the development of the highlighter pen, so "unhighlight" describes the reverse of that act: lifting the coloured marking away from words that were once emphasised.