Definition

Noun: 1. A style of type with upright letters, as opposed to italic or oblique styles: Roman type is the standard, upright letterform used in most printed text. It is characterized by its vertical orientation and is the default or "normal" style for body text. 2. A typeface based on the letterforms used in ancient Roman inscriptions: This refers to the historical origin of the style, which was modeled on the capital letters carved into Roman monuments like Trajan's Column. Modern roman typefaces often include both uppercase (derived from Roman capitals) and lowercase letters (developed later).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The main body of the book is set in a classic roman type.
  • For emphasis, a word in roman type can be contrasted with words in italic type.
  • The designer chose a serif roman type for the newspaper to aid readability.

Advanced Usage

• "Switched from italic back to roman": A common instruction in writing and typesetting to change the style of text from slanted to upright.
  • The foreign phrase should be in italics, then switched back to roman for the translation.

Variants and Related Words

• Roman (adj): Pertaining to the upright style of type.
  • The roman letter 'a' looks different from the italic 'a'.
• Italic type (n): A slanted or cursive style of type, often used for emphasis, titles, or foreign words, which contrasts with roman type.
• Upright (adj): A general term describing the vertical posture of roman letters, as opposed to slanted.

Synonyms

• Upright type: Emphasizes the vertical posture.
• Regular: Often used in font menus to denote the standard, roman version of a typeface family (e.g., "Times New Roman Regular").
• Normal style: A simple descriptive synonym.

Related Phrases

• In roman: A phrase used to specify that text should be set in the upright style.
  • The publication's style guide states that Latin scientific names should be written in roman.

Noun

1. a typeface used in ancient Roman inscriptions