Meanings
adjectivepreliterature (not comparable)
- not comparableBefore the development of literature.
She also reminds us that in contrast to preliterature societies, the industrial societies have a distinct lack of rituals involving the sense of smell.
1993, Charles S. Van Toller, G. H. Dodd, Fragrance: The psychology and biology of perfume, page 1Synonyms: preliterary
nounpreliterature (uncountable)
- uncountableForms of art etc. that existed before literature.
The notion of passion as a fire is ancient, its origins lost in preliterature.
1981, Erling B. Holtsmark, Tarzan and Tradition: Classical Myth in Popular Literature, page 140
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveBefore the development of literature.
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Origin
Cite this entry
APA
preliterature. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preliterature
MLA
“preliterature.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preliterature. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “preliterature,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preliterature.
Source: preliterature on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.