DictionaryRoot: littera
Latin

littera

letter or written character

Forms

  • littera
  • liter- — A simplified spelling used in some descendants.
  • litter- — The doubled spelling retained elsewhere.

Origin

An old Latin word whose deeper origin is uncertain.

7 / 11
A Black woman thoughtfully reading a hardbound novel at a desk with several serious books and a pen.
adjective

literary

LIT-uh-rair-ee/ˈlɪtəreri/

Relating to literature or characteristic of its writing style.

Etymology

The connection is broader than individual alphabetic letters: Latin littera in the plural also meant literature, books, and learning. Literary likewise shifted from pertaining to letters to pertaining to literature.

Full entry

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