the words of something written
"there were more than a thousand words of text"
"they handed out the printed text of the mayor's speech"
"he wants to reconstruct the original text"
a passage from the Bible that is used as the subject of a sermon
"the preacher chose a text from Psalms to introduce his sermon"
a book prepared for use in schools or colleges
"his economics textbook is in its tenth edition"
"the professor wrote the text that he assigned students to buy"
the main body of a written work (as distinct from illustrations or footnotes etc.)
"pictures made the text easier to understand"
A writing consisting of multiple glyphs, characters, symbols or sentences.
"The ancient stone tablet features a complex text carved in relief that scholars have spent decades deciphering."
In plain English: A text is a written message sent electronically, usually on a phone or computer.
"He sent me a text to let me know he was on his way."
To send a text message to; i.e. to transmit text using the Short Message Service (SMS), or a similar service, between communications devices, particularly mobile phones.
"I can't text you right now because my phone is out of battery."
In plain English: To text means to send a short message using your phone.
"I will text you later to see if we are still meeting for dinner."
Usage: Use text as a transitive verb when meaning to communicate via SMS rather than in person or by phone call. Avoid confusing it with writing long-form letters or emails, which are better described using verbs like compose or write.
The word "text" entered Middle English via Old French and Medieval Latin, originally referring to the woven style or fabric of a work before coming to mean written material. It shares its root with the modern English word "texture," both deriving from the ancient concept of weaving.