intertextuality.

The relationships through which a text draws on, echoes, transforms or is interpreted alongside other texts.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• literary intertextuality
• intertextuality of a passage

On the page

Literary intertextuality connected the scene to an older account without simply repeating it.

The passage’s intertextuality became visible in its altered use of a familiar phrase.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, narrative analysis, characterization, contrast. Disciplines: literary analysis, prose writing, advanced general English. Commonness: uncommon.