intertextuality

noun

in·​ter·​tex·​tu·​al·​i·​ty ˌin-tər-ˌteks-chə-ˈwa-lə-tē 

plural intertextualities

: the complex interrelationship between a text and other texts taken as basic to the creation or interpretation of the text

intertextual

ˌin-tər-ˈteks-chə-wəl 

adjective

intertextually adverb

Examples of intertextuality in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But there is a new level of intertextuality among the three singers, whose hearty generosity and palpable eagerness to be together seem to temper the possibility of any one voice becoming dominant. —Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2023

And the web—particularly social media—provides countless opportunities for intertextuality, chances to recontextualize, retweet, repost, riposte. —WIRED, 3 Feb. 2023

Øyehaug’s dizzyingly inventive fictions are suffused with uncanny observations about the natural world and a pervasive, tongue-in-cheek intertextuality. —The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2023

The specific linguistic mechanism at play when fans bat around Swift quotes is called intertextuality—basically, taking quotes and bringing them into new context, like a subreddit or a Senate hearing. —WIRED, 3 Feb. 2023

Word History

Etymology

French intertextualité, from inter- + textuel textual + -ité -ity

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above