Learned something today and thought I'd share some MTG terminology new to me, even though it applies to my favorite commander: Selvala, Explorer Returned.
An italicized word with no rules meaning that ties together abilities on different cards that have similar functionality.
-- Comprehensive Rules Glossary
To elaborate - an ability word appears in italics in the text box at the beginning of some abilities and those words are similar to keywords in that they connect cards with similar functionality and provide extra flavor to a set as well as the card, much like flavor words (which tie nothing together except the theme(s) of a set). They have no special rules meaning and thus no individual entries in the Comprehensive Rules: the cards they are used on would function exactly the same if they were not there. This is in contrast to reminder text which also appears in italics and in parentheses, summarizing a rule that applies to that card, but is not actually rules text and has no effect on play. At least one, landfall, is a common theme used to build decks with.
As listed in CR 207.2c as of September 5, 2024, the ability words are adamant, addendum, alliance, battalion, bloodrush, celebration, channel, chroma, cohort, constellation, converge, council’s dilemma, coven, delirium, descend 4, descend 8, domain, eminence, enrage, fateful hour, fathomless descent, ferocious, formidable, grandeur, hellbent, heroic, imprint, inspired, join forces, kinship, landfall, lieutenant, magecraft, metalcraft, morbid, pack tactics, paradox, parley, radiance, raid, rally, revolt, secret council, spell mastery, strive, sweep, tempting offer, threshold, undergrowth, valiant, and will of the council.
It occurs to me that almost all of these would make great hashstags, by the by.