In linguistics, semantics is the study of the meanings of words, phrases or systems. According to the web terminology of markup languages, semantic concerns the appropriate use of XHTML elements. To put it simple, elements should be used respecting their semantic role within the document and their intended purpose. To avoid the trivial mistake of using an element for its presentational effect, in this article I'll review the most common XHTML elements by providing a short description of their semantic role and scope.
address
We can use this element to insert information about the document's author, namely the person who actually created the document.
blockquote
We can use this element to insert a block-level quotation. The cite attribute (optional) specifies the
quotation's source (an URI).
The blockquote element is mainly used for long quotations. We should not use this element to create
indentations.
cite
We can use this element to insert the source of a quotation or a reference to another resource.
code
We can use this element to insert fragments of computer code.
dd
We can use this element to insert a definition in a definition list.
del
We can use this element to mark up revised text. The del element marks up the text that has been deleted
in a previous revision of the document.
dfn
We can use this element to mark up a term that is to be defined. The dfn element, in fact, defines the first
instance of a term in a document.
dt
We can use this element to mark up the definition term in a definition list.
em
We can use this element to add a normal emphasis to text.
h1-h6
We can use these elements (h1, h2, h3, h4, h5,
h6) to mark up six decreasing levels of importance for headings, where h1 is the most important
level. These elements can be inserted to build the structure of a document by dividing it up into sections and subsections.
ins
We can use this element to mark up the insertion of new text after a revision.
kbd
We can use this element to mark up keyboard characters.
pre
We can use this element to mark up pre-formatted text.
q
We can use this element to mark up short inline quotations. The cite attribute (optional) specifies the
quotation's source (an URI).
samp
We can use this element to mark up the result of a program or script.
strong
We can use this element to add a strong emphasis to text.
sub
We can use this element to mark up a subscript.
sup
We can use this element to mark up a superscript.
tt
We can use this element to mark up teletype text.
var
We can use this element to mark up a variable or a program argument.