HTML dfn tag

Example

Mark up a term with <dfn>:

<p><dfn>HTML</dfn> is the standard markup language for creating web pages.</p>

HTML is the standard markup language for creating web pages.

Definition and Usage

The <dfn> tag stands for the "definition element", and it specifies a term that is going to be defined within the content.

The nearest parent of the <dfn> tag must also contain the definition/explanation for the term.

The term inside the <dfn> tag can be any of the following:

1. Just as the content of the <dfn> element:

Example

<p><dfn>HTML</dfn> is the standard markup language for creating web pages.</p>

2. Or, with the title attribute added:

Example

<p><dfn title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</dfn> is the standard markup language for creating web pages.</p>

HTML is the standard markup language for creating web pages.

3. Or, with an <abbr> tag inside the <dfn> element:

Example

<p><dfn><abbr title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</abbr></dfn> is the standard markup language for creating web pages.</p>

4. Or, with the id attribute added. Then, whenever a term is used, it can refer back to the definition with an <a> tag:

Example

<p><dfn id="html-def">HTML</dfn> is the standard markup language for creating web pages.</p>

<p>This is some text...</p>
<p>This is some text...</p>
<p>Learn <a href="#html-def">HTML</a> now.</p>

Global Attributes

The <dfn> tag also supports the Global Attributes in HTML.

Event Attributes

The <dfn> tag also supports the Event Attributes in HTML.

Default CSS Settings

Most browsers will display the <dfn> element with the following default values:

Example

dfn {
font-style: italic;
}