<defitem> Definition List Item

<defitem> is a formatting element used to pair a <list> entry (<label>) with its definition/description/explanation (<item>). As such, it only appears within <list>. LoC notes that such lists are often formatted in two columns.

Attributes

  • ALTRENDER – not required. Use if the content of the element should be displayed or printed differently than the rendering established in a style sheet for other occurrences of the element.
  • AUDIENCE – not required. Use to set whether the element’s contents will be visible to external users or to internal ones. Possible values are: “internal” and “external.”
  • ID – not required. Creates an ID for element. Can be used for linking.

Subelements

Each <defitem> contains an <item> and a <label> element.

Examples

In this case, we’re using the list to define abbreviations used within the finding aid.

<list type="deflist">
	<listhead>
		<head01>Abbreviation</head01>
		<head02>Expansion</head02>
	</listhead>
	<defitem>
		<label>MIT</label>
		<item>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</item>
	</defitem>
	<defitem>
		<label>PCV</label>
		<item>Peace Corps Volunteer</item>
	</defitem>
</list>

EAD tag library entry for <defitem>.