text

views updated Jun 27 2018

text / tekst/ • n. 1. a book or other written or printed work, regarded in terms of its content rather than its physical form: a text which explores pain and grief. ∎  a piece of written or printed material regarded as conveying the authentic or primary form of a particular work: in some passages it is difficult to establish the original text the text of the lecture was available to guests. ∎  written or printed words, typically forming a connected piece of work: stylistic features of journalistic text. ∎  Comput. data in written form, esp. when stored, processed, or displayed in a word processor. ∎  a text message. ∎  [in sing.] the main body of a book or other piece of writing, as distinct from other material such as notes, appendices, and illustrations: the pictures are clear and relate well to the text. ∎  a script or libretto. ∎  a written work chosen or assigned as a subject of study: the book is intended as a secondary text for religion courses. ∎  a textbook. ∎  a passage from the Bible or other religious work, esp. when used as the subject of a sermon. ∎  a subject or theme for a discussion or exposition: he took as his text the fact that Australia is paradise.2. (also text-hand) fine, large handwriting, used esp. for manuscripts.• v. to send a text message: I thought it was fantastic that he took the trouble to text me.DERIVATIVES: text·less adj.

TEXT

views updated May 11 2018

TEXT.
1. A continuous piece of WRITING, such as the entirety of a letter, poem, or novel, conceived originally as produced like cloth on a loom.

2. The main written or printed part of a letter, manuscript, typescript, book, newspaper, etc., excluding any titles, headings, illustrations, notes, appendices, indexes, etc.

3. The precise wording of anything written or printed: the definitive text of James Joyce's ‘Ulysses’.

4. A book prescribed as part of a course of study; a textbook: the prescribed texts for the exam.

5. In PRINTING, type as opposed to white space, illustrations, etc. Traditionally, text as a concept has suggested something fixed and with a quality of authority about it not unlike scripture. Electronic and laser technology, however, has made the concept more fluid. See CONTEXT, PARAGRAPH, PROSE.

text

views updated May 23 2018

text wording of a passage; short passage used as a motto, subject of discourse, etc. XIV; theme XVII. ME. text(e), tixt(e) — ONF. tixte, (also modF.) texte — L. textus tissue, style of literary work, in medL. the Gospel, written character, f. pp. stem of texere weave.

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