I. ˈli-t(ə-)rəl adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin litteralis, from Latin, of a letter, from littera letter
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : according with the letter of the scriptures
b. : adhering to fact or to the ordinary construction or primary meaning of a term or expression : actual
liberty in the literal sense is impossible — B. N. Cardozo
c. : free from exaggeration or embellishment
the literal truth
d. : characterized by a concern mainly with facts
a very literal man
2. : of, relating to, or expressed in letters
3. : reproduced word for word : exact , verbatim
a literal translation
• lit·er·al·i·ty ˌli-tə-ˈra-lə-tē noun
• lit·er·al·ness ˈli-t(ə-)rəl-nəs noun
II. noun
Date: 1622
: a small error usually of a single letter (as in writing)