Where does “literal” come from?
literal (Old French) comes 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,...
literal (Old French): literal exactly as stated
Definitions
- literal exactly as stated
Ancestry of “literal”, step by step
literal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin litteralis
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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,... |
via Late Latin litteralis
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | litteralis | literary; epistolary |
| 2 | Latin | -alis | Used to form adjectives of relationship from... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | -li- | — |