grassetto

Grassetto is a typographic style used to emphasize text by rendering characters with thicker and darker strokes than the surrounding type. In Italian typography, grassetto is the standard term for boldface and is applied to designate a heavier weight of the type compared with the regular (grigio) text.

Etymology and usage considerations: the word derives from the Italian adjective grasso, meaning fat, with the affix -etto indicating a thickened form. Grassetto contrasts with corsivo (italic) and with the normal weight; boldness can be achieved by using a distinct bold typeface or by selecting a heavier weight within a font family. In practice, grassetto signals emphasis, headings, and certain UI elements.

Digital typography and markup: in web design, bold text is commonly implemented through font-weight values such as 700 in CSS, often equated with grassetto. HTML offers semantic emphasis through the strong element, which is typically rendered in bold, while the b element provides a purely stylistic bold. Word processors map grassetto to a bold command, usually activated by pressing Ctrl+B (or Command+B on macOS).

Usage considerations: bold should be used sparingly to preserve readability and visual hierarchy. In multilingual or accessible contexts, bold weight can vary between fonts, so contrast and legibility should guide its application. Grassetto remains a fundamental tool for emphasis in both traditional typography and modern digital content. See also boldface, italics, and typographic hierarchy.