sottolineate

Sottolineate is the feminine plural past participle form of the Italian verb sottolineare, meaning “underlined.” In Italian, it can function as an adjective agreeing with feminine plural nouns (for example, parole sottolineate) or as part of compound tenses with avere or essere, as in le frasi sono sottolineate.

Etymology and meaning: the word derives from sotto- meaning under and lineare from linea, “line.” The literal sense is to draw a line underneath something, and the figurative sense extends to emphasizing or highlighting a point.

Usage in Italian: sottolineare is used both for physical underlining in handwriting or printing and for figurative emphasis. The feminine plural sottolineate is commonly seen in editing, schoolwork, and publishing to describe text that has been marked with a line beneath it. The term contrasts with other emphasis verbs such as evidenziare (to highlight or emphasize) and enfatizzare (to stress more strongly).

Grammatical notes: as an adjective, sottolineate agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. As a past participle, it forms part of compound tenses with essere or avere, depending on voice and construction. Other related forms include sottolineato (masculine singular), sottolineata (feminine singular), and sottolineati (masculine plural).

In English-language contexts, sottolineate is mainly encountered in discussions of Italian usage, typography, or language learning. It is not a standard English vocabulary item, but it appears as a loanword within bilingual texts to describe underlined text or emphasis in Italian.