I*tal"ic (?), a. [L. Italicus: cf. F. italique. Cf. Italian.]

1. Relating to Italy or to its people.

2. Applied especially to a kind of type in which the letters do not stand upright, but slope toward the right; - - so called because dedicated to the States of Italy by the inventor, Aldus Manutius, about the year 1500.

I*tal"ic, n.; pl. Italics (&?;). (Print.) An Italic letter, character, or type (see Italic, a., 2.); -- often in the plural; as, the Italics are the author's. Italic letters are used to distinguish words for emphasis, importance, antithesis, etc. Also, collectively, Italic letters.

{{en}}
• a typeface or font whose letters slant or lean to the right
  
• the use of an italic font for emphasis
       There is no need to put the whole paragraph in italics.
  
• usually 'italics' plural but sometimes singular in construction: exaggerated intonation or some similar oral speech device by which one or more words is heavily and usually affectedly emphasized or otherwise given sharp prominence
       was yapping, her silly voice fraught with italics -- Margaret Long
       a woman who has an irritating way of speaking in italics -- W.J.Locke
  
• capitalized a. a branch of the Indo-European language family that includes Latin and other languages (as Oscan, Umbrian) spoken by the peoples of ancient Italy and that also includes the Romance languages (as Italian, French, Spanish) descended from Latin b. the group of ancient languages of this branch as contrasted with the modern Romance languages c. OSCO-UMBRIAN
  
• (of a typeface) having a slant to the right
  
• of or from Italy