Etymology

literalism

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Today it means: Literal interpretation or understanding; adherence to the exact letter or precise significance, as in interpreting or translating. Full definition →

English literal ← Middle English literal ← Old French litera
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂leyH-
  2. Old Latinleitera
  3. Latinlīterader.?
  4. Proto-Hellenic*dipʰtʰérā?
  5. Ancient Greekδιφθέρᾱ (diphthérā)
  6. Etruscan[Term?]bor.?
  7. Latinlittera
  8. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  9. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  10. Late Latinlitterāli
  11. Old Frenchlitera
  12. Middle Englishliteral
  13. Englishliteral
  14. English todayliteralism

From literal + -ism.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.