Where does “literal” come from?
literal (Romanian) comes from French littéral, 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,...
literal (Romanian): literal
Definitions
- literal
Ancestry of “literal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | littéral | literal |
| 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,... |