literature

literature

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of literature in English

English Online Dictionary. What means literature‎? What does literature mean?

English

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Alternative forms

  • literatuer (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English literature, from Old French littérature, from Latin literatura or litteratura, from littera (letter), from Etruscan, from Ancient Greek διφθέρᾱ (diphthérā, tablet). Displaced native Old English bōccræft.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈlɪt.ə.ɹə.t͡ʃə(ɹ)/, /ˈlɪt.ɹə.t͡ʃə(ɹ)/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈlɪt.ɚ.ə.t͡ʃɚ/, [ˈlɪɾ.ɚ.ə.t͡ʃɚ], /ˈlɪt.ɹə.t͡ʃɚ/, [ˈlɪt͡ʃ.ɹə.t͡ʃɚ], /ˈlɪt.ɚ.t͡ʃɚ/
  • (Midwestern US) IPA(key): /ˈlɪt.ə.t͡ʃɚ/

Noun

literature (usually uncountable, plural literatures)

  1. The body of all written works.
  2. The collected creative writing of a nation, people, group, or culture.
  3. (usually preceded by the) All the papers, treatises, etc. published in academic journals on a particular subject.
  4. Written fiction of a high standard.
    • 2008, Adam Cadre
      However, even “literary” science fiction rarely qualifies as literature, because it treats characters as sets of traits rather than as fully realized human beings with unique life stories.
  5. (obsolete) Literacy; ability to read and write.

Meronyms

  • See also Thesaurus:literature

Derived terms

Related terms

  • letter
  • literal
  • literacy
  • literate
  • literary

Translations

Further reading

  • "literature" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 183.

Anagrams

  • literateur, literatuer

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License

This article based on an article on Wiktionary. The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. The original work has been modified. This article is distributed under the terms of this license.