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literal

[ lit-er-uhl ]
/ ˈlɪt ər əl /
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adjective
noun
a typographical error, especially involving a single letter.
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Origin of literal

1350–1400; Middle English <Late Latin litterālis “of letters.” See letter1, -al1

OTHER WORDS FROM literal

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH literal

literal , littoral
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use literal in a sentence

  • And it might mean something quite non-literal to the people who spoke it.

    Check and Checkmate|Walter Miller

British Dictionary definitions for literal

literal
/ (ˈlɪtərəl) /

adjective
noun
Also called: literal error a misprint or misspelling in a text

Derived forms of literal

literalness or literality (ˌlɪtəˈrælɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for literal

C14: from Late Latin litterālis concerning letters, from Latin littera letter
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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