literal
English
/ˈlɪt(ə)ɹəl/
adj
Definitions
- Exactly as stated; read or understood without additional interpretation; according to the letter or verbal expression; real; not figurative or metaphorical.
- Following the letter or exact words; not free; not taking liberties.
- (uncommon) Consisting of, or expressed by, letters.
- (of a person) Giving a strict or literal construction; unimaginative; matter-of-fact.
- (proscribed)
Etymology
Borrowed from Old French literal derived from Latin litteralis, littera (letter, letter of the alphabet, epistle, in plural).
Origin
Latin
littera
Gloss
letter, letter of the alphabet, epistle, in plural
Concept
Semantic Field
Modern world
Ontological Category
Person/Thing
Emoji
✉️ 💌 📤️ 📥️ 📧 📨
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- antiliteral English
- antiliteralism English
- biliteral English
- biliteralism English
- duoliteral English
- hexaliteral English
- hyperliteral English
- hyperliterally English
- illiteral English
- illiterally English
- literalise English
- literaliser English
- literalism English
- literalist English
- literalistic English
- literality English
- literalization English
- literalize English
- literalizer English
- literally English
- literalness English
- literation English
- monoliteral English
- multiliteral English
- nonliteral English
- nonliterally English
- overliteral English
- pluriliteral English
- quadriliteral English
- quadriliteralism English
- quinqueliteral English
- uniliteral English
- unliteral English
- unliterally English
- unliteralness English
- littera Latin
- litteralis Latin
- litteratim Latin
- litterator Latin
- litterālis Latin
- lettera Italian
- littéral French
- литера Russian
- letra Spanish, Castilian
- διφθέρα Ancient Greek
- διφθέρᾱ Ancient Greek
- transliterar Portuguese
- litera Polish
- letre Old French
- lettre Old French
- literal Old French
- litero Esperanto
- lletra Catalan, Valencian
- llythyr Welsh
- litera Latvian
- liter Old Irish
- letra Old Portuguese
- літера Ukrainian
- letra Occitan
- літара Belarusian
- letra Romansh
- lletra Asturian
- letare Friulian
- littra Sicilian
- łétara Venetian
- lether Cornish
- lyther Cornish
- latera Dalmatian
- leitera Old Latin
- illiteral
- literally
- biliteral
- unliteral
- literation
- nonliteral
- literalism
- literalise
- duoliteral
- literalize
- literalist
- literality
- uniliteral
- overliteral
- monoliteral
- antiliteral
- hexaliteral
- unliterally
- illiterally
- literalizer
- literaliser
- literalness
- multiliteral
- biliteralism
- literalistic
- hyperliteral
- pluriliteral
- nonliterally
- quadriliteral
- unliteralness
- quinqueliteral
- antiliteralism
- literalization
- hyperliterally
- quadriliteralism