literal
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈlɪt(ə)ɹəl/
homophone: littoral
Forms: form: more literal
form: most literal
form: lit.
form: litteral
Etymology: From Middle English literal, from Old French literal, from Late Latin litteralis or literalis (“of or pertaining to letters or to writing”), from Latin littera or litera (“a letter”). See letter.
Senses: examples: text: The literal translation of Spanish irse al otro barrio is "to go to the other neighbourhood" but it means "to die".
text: A literal reading of the law would prohibit it, but that is clearly not the intent.
text: a middle course between the rigour of literal translations and the liberty of paraphrasts
ref: 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, →OCLC, (please specify the page):
text: Within the constraints set by the original texts and by the mandates of the Division, the Committee has followed the maxim, 'As literal as possible, as free as necessary.' As a consequence, the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) remains essentially a literal translation.
ref: 1989, “Preface to the New Revised Standard Version”, in Bible Research:
synonyms: verbatim
word-for-word
glosses: Exactly as stated; read or understood without interpretation; according to the letter; not figurative or metaphorical; following the letter or exact words; not taking liberties; etymonic rather than idiomatic.
examples: text: Mechanically, operating this hybrid vehicle is sort of a cross between driving a car and taming an animal, which means the movie treats the audience to the sight of a man (pretending to be a teenager) driving a literal monster truck in a field next to a woman (also pretending to be a teenager) riding a horse.
ref: 2017 January 12, Jesse Hassenger, “A literal monster truck is far from the stupidest thing about Monster Trucks”, in The Onion AV Club:
glosses: Actual, real, physical.
qualifier: hermeneutics
glosses: That which generally assumes that the plainest reading of a given text is correct but which allows for metaphor where context indicates it.
examples: text: It is most important to distinguish literalistic from literal interpretation. [...] ‘Literalistic’ interpretation is like word-for-word translation that yields the verbally exact or ‘formally equivalent’ versions but also runs the risk of overlooking the main (illocutionary) point. Literal interpretation, on the other hand, is more like a translation that strives for dynamic equivalence and yields the literary sense.
ref: 1998, Kevin Vanhoozer, “6. Redeeming the Text: The Rationality of Literary Acts”, in Is There a Meaning in This Text?, page 311:
topics: lifestyle
religion
theology
qualifier: hermeneutics
glosses: Following the historical-grammatical method of biblical interpretation.
examples: text: a literal equation
glosses: Consisting of, or expressed by, letters (of an alphabet); using literation.
glosses: Unimaginative; matter-of-fact; literal-minded.
raw_tags: of a person
examples: text: Telemarketers are the literal worst.
glosses: Used nonliterally as an intensifier. See literally for usage notes.
glosses: Misspelling of littoral.
Hyponyms: hyperliteral
overliteral
Derived terms: antiliteral
biliteral
duoliteral
hexaliteral
hyperliteralism
illiteral
literal equation
literalism
literalist
literalistic
literality
literalization
literalize
literalise
literally
literal-minded
literalness
literal rule
literal theonymy
monoliteral
multiliteral
pluriliteral
quadriliteral
quinqueliteral
transliteral
triliteral
uniliteral
unliteral
Related terms: letter
literacy
literary
literate
literature