Where does “literal” come from?

literal (Tagalog) comes from Spanish literal, from Late 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 (Tagalog): literal

Definitions

literal

Ancestry of “literal”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Spanish	literal	literal
2	Late Latin	litteralis	literary; epistolary
3	Latin	littera	a letter of the alphabet; handwriting; letter,...
4	Latin	lītera	—
5	Old Latin	leitera	—
6	Proto-Indo-European	h₂leyH-	to smear
7	Proto-Indo-European	leyh₂-	to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...

Every word from Proto-Indo-European leyh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂leyH- →Every word from Old Latin leitera →