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text

n. C / U
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈtɛkst// UK //tˈɛkst// text Academic Archaic General-service Informal

n. the written words in a book, magazine, or on a screen. It can also mean a short message you send to someone's phone.

n. the main body of written or printed matter, as distinct from illustrations or notes. In modern contexts, it frequently refers to a digital message sent via a mobile network.


SIMPLE

Please read the text on page twenty.

CONTEXTUAL

The history teacher asked the students to highlight the most important dates in the text.

COMPLEX

While the illustrations provide visual context, the primary evidence for the historian's argument is found within the original Latin text of the treaty.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English text, from Old French texte (“text”), from Medieval Latin textus (“the Scriptures, text, treatise”), from Latin textus (“style or texture of a work”), perfect passive participle of texō (“to weave”). Cognate to English texture.

Usage

Uncountable when referring to written material in general; countable when referring to a specific digital message or a textbook.

Idioms1 entry

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