# \mit

Legacy plain-TeX-style math declaration for forcing subsequent symbols in the current group to italic.

https://texform.dev/latex/commands/mit

## Metadata

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Topic | [Fonts and styles](https://texform.dev/latex/topics/fonts-styles) |
| Packages | base, textmacros |
| Allowed mode | math, text |
| Tags | presentation |
| Commonality | low |
| Kind | declarative |

## Syntax

### base

Argument specification: ``

Legacy plain-TeX-style math declaration for forcing subsequent symbols in the current group to italic.

### textmacros

Argument specification: ``

Legacy declaration that switches following text to math-italic-style glyph selection until the current group ends.

## Examples

```latex
x \mit y
```

[Open in Playground](https://play.texform.dev/?input=x+%5Cmit+y)

```latex
{x \mit y} z
```

[Open in Playground](https://play.texform.dev/?input=%7Bx+%5Cmit+y%7D+z)

```latex
\text{\mit x}
```

[Open in Playground](https://play.texform.dev/?input=%5Ctext%7B%5Cmit+x%7D)

## Package variants

| Package | Argument specification | Allowed mode | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| base |  | math | Legacy plain-TeX-style math declaration for forcing subsequent symbols in the current group to italic. |
| textmacros |  | text | Legacy declaration that switches following text to math-italic-style glyph selection until the current group ends. |

## Renderer support

| Package | MathJax | KaTeX | XeTeX |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| base | full | none | full |
| textmacros | full | none | full |

## Usage frequency

<0.01% of formulas in the measured corpus contain this entry, rank 192 of 263 entries with frequency data.

## In TeXForm

TeXForm parses this entry as declarative syntax; the package determines its argument specification.

### Discouraged in textmacros

Obsolete plain TeX font command discouraged in LaTeX2e. Does not support modern NFSS font selection.

```latex
\mathit{$1}
```

Modern LaTeX2e command that respects current font properties and provides proper scoping.

## Equivalent forms

```latex
\mathit{...}
```

approximate. \mathit is a command with arguments, whereas \mit is declarative.

## See also

- [\\bf](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/bf)
- [\\cal](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/cal)
- [\\it](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/it)
- [\\oldstyle](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/oldstyle)
- [\\rm](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/rm)
- [\\sf](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/sf)
- [\\tt](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/tt)

## Test cases

### base

| Input | Case | MathJax | KaTeX | XeTeX |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| {\mit a} | Positive: baseline | Pass | Fail | Pass |

### textmacros

| Input | Case | MathJax | KaTeX | XeTeX |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| {\mit a} | Positive: baseline | Pass | Fail | Pass |