Where does “semi-&lit” come from?
semi-&lit (English) comes from English &lit, 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,...
semi-&lit (English): An extended definition clue, especially one in which the definition is only a word such as this or who that cannot define the answer alone
Definitions
- An extended definition clue, especially one in which the definition is only a word such as this or who that cannot define the answer alone
Ancestry of “semi-&lit”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | &lit | A cryptic crossword clue that can be interpreted in its entirety as either a definition or wordplay; for example, "God incarnate, essentially" for "Odin", a Norse god whose name is hidden in "God incarnate" |
| 2 | English | literal | Exactly as stated; read or understood without... |
| 3 | Old French | literal | literal exactly as stated |
| 4 | Latin | litteralis | literary; epistolary |
| 5 | Latin | littera | a letter of the alphabet; handwriting; letter,... |
| 6 | Latin | lītera | — |
| 7 | Old Latin | leitera | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂leyH- | to smear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leyh₂- | to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,... |