Where does “nonliteral” come from?
nonliteral (English) comes from English literal, from Old French literal, from 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,...
nonliteral (English): Not literal; That which is not a literal
Definitions
- Not literal; That which is not a literal
Ancestry of “nonliteral”, step by step
nonliteral traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English literal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | literal | Exactly as stated; read or understood without... |
| 2 | Old French | literal | literal exactly as stated |
| 3 | Latin | litteralis | literary; epistolary |
| 4 | Latin | littera | a letter of the alphabet; handwriting; letter,... |
| 5 | Latin | lītera | — |
| 6 | Old Latin | leitera | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂leyH- | to smear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leyh₂- | to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,... |