Editorial Style Glossary

This is a glossary of terminology from the Holloway Editorial Style Guide.

Defining text, Preliminary defining text

The defining block begins with the character, followed by defining text, which delivers the essential meaning of the term and introduces the term in boldface, with alternate terms as appropriate. In most cases, the defining text for each term should be contained within a single, grammatically appropriate sentence. In joint definitions, defining text should be provided for each term. In level joint definitions, preliminary defining text, which provides a shared definition for the two terms, should appear at the beginning of the defining block before the defining text for any individual term.