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litany
litas
litchi
-lite
lite
lite water
liter
literacy
literal
literalism
literally
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literary agent
literary criticism
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literal

lit·er·al [ líttərəl ]


adjective 
Definition:
 
1. following basic meaning: adhering strictly and concisely to the basic meaning of a word or text
a literal interpretation

2. word for word: exactly following the order or meaning of a word or text
a literal transcript

3. used to emphasize truth of statement: used to emphasize that something is true
It's the literal truth.

4. factual and unimaginative: simple in an unimaginative way that sticks solely to the facts
a literal account of the incident

5. using alphabetical letters: involving or expressed by letters of the alphabet

[14th century. Via French< Latin literalis< littera "letter"]

lit·er·al·ness noun
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