Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nonliterally” come from?

nonliterally (English) comes from English nonliteral, 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- — to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...

nonliterally (English): In a manner that is not literal

Definitions

  1. In a manner that is not literal

Ancestry of “nonliterally”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnonliteralNot literal; That which is not a literal
2EnglishliteralExactly as stated; read or understood without...
3Old Frenchliteralliteral
4Latinlitteralisliterary; epistolary
5Latinlitteraa letter of the alphabet; handwriting; letter,...
6Latinlītera—
7Old Latinleitera—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂leyH-to smear
9Proto-Indo-Europeanleyh₂-to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leyh₂- →