Italic languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family. They include several ancient and modern languages, such as Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. These languages evolved from the Italic dialects spoken in ancient Italy, particularly in the regions of Latium and Etruria. The most significant of the Italic languages is Latin, which served as the foundation for the Romance languages. Over time, as the Roman Empire expanded, Latin diversified into various regional dialects, leading to the development of the modern Italic languages we know today.