literal

literal

lit·er·al / ˈlitərəl; ˈlitrəl/ • adj. 1. taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or allegory: dreadful in its literal sense, full of dread. ∎  free from exaggeration or distortion: you shouldn't take this as a literal record of events. ∎ inf. absolute (used to emphasize that a strong expression is deliberately chosen to convey one's feelings): fifteen years of literal hell. 2. (of a translation) representing the exact words of the original text. ∎  (of a visual representation) exactly copied; realistic as opposed to abstract or impressionistic. 3. (also literal-minded) (of a person or performance) lacking imagination; prosaic. 4. of, in, or expressed by a letter or the letters of the alphabet: literal mnemonics. DERIVATIVES: lit·er·al·i·ty / ˌlitəˈralətē/ lit·er·al·ize / -ˌlīz/ v. lit·er·al·ness n.

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"literal." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"literal." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-literal.html

"literal." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-literal.html

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LITERAL

LITERAL.
1. A term traditionally opposed to figurative and metaphorical. Although it is generally unrelated to LETTERS, LITERACY, and LITERATURE, it suggests the influence of the letter as a measure of strictness and rightness: the literal truth is seen as being true in a basic and absolute way. If something is done literally, a person follows instructions ‘to the letter’, without flexibility or imagination. Paradoxically, however, the adverb literally is often used to mean figuratively: ‘And with his eyes he literally scoured the corners of the cell’ ( Vladimir Nabokov, Invitation to a Beheading, 1960). See FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE.

2. A term in proof-reading for a misprint such as the substitution of one letter for another, the omission or addition of a letter, or letters transposed (for example, parodixical, responsiblity, assumed, phenonemon, prniter).

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TOM McARTHUR. "LITERAL." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

TOM McARTHUR. "LITERAL." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-LITERAL.html

TOM McARTHUR. "LITERAL." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-LITERAL.html

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literal

literal pert. to a letter or letters. XIV. — (O)F. litéral or late L. lit(t)erālis, f. lit(t)era LETTER; see -AL1.
So literary XVII. — L. literate educated, learned XV; literary. XVII. — L. literature polite learning XIV; literary work XVIII. — (partly through F. littérature) L. lit(t)erātūra (coll.) alphabetic letters, grammar, learning. literatim letter by letter. XVII. — medL.

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T. F. HOAD. "literal." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "literal." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-literal.html

T. F. HOAD. "literal." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-literal.html

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literal

literal A word or symbol in a program that stands for itself rather than as a name for something else, i.e. an object whose value is determined by its denotation. Numbers are literals; if other symbols are used as literals it is necessary to use some form of quoting mechanism to distinguish them from variables.

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JOHN DAINTITH. "literal." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN DAINTITH. "literal." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O11-literal.html

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literal

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"literal." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"literal." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-literal.html

"literal." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-literal.html

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PSC orders Literal's BAP group to vacate RMC office.(Sports)
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Newspaper article from: Manila Bulletin; 8/15/2001
Literal emerges, backs POC move.(Sports)
Newspaper article from: Manila Bulletin; 5/9/2005

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