Where does “literal” come from?

literal (Catalan) comes from Late Latin litteralis, from Latin littera, from Latin lītera, from Old Latin leitera, from Proto-Indo-European h₂leyH-, from Proto-Indo-European leyh₂- — to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...

literal (Catalan): literal

Definitions

literal

Ancestry of “literal”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Late Latin	litteralis	literary; epistolary
2	Latin	littera	a letter of the alphabet; handwriting; letter,...
3	Latin	lītera	—
4	Old Latin	leitera	—
5	Proto-Indo-European	h₂leyH-	to smear
6	Proto-Indo-European	leyh₂-	to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...

Words derived from “literal”

literalment

Every word from Proto-Indo-European leyh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂leyH- →Every word from Old Latin leitera →