[lit.er.al] adj [ME, fr. MF, fr. ML litteralis, fr. L, of a letter, fr. littera letter] (14c) 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 ~ sense is impossible --B. N. Cardozo" c: free from exaggeration or embellishment "the ~ truth" d: characterized by a concern mainly with facts "a very ~ man"
2: of, relating to, or expressed in letters
3: reproduced word for word: exact, verbatim "a ~ translation" -- lit.er.al.i.ty n -- lit.er.al.ness n
[2]literal n (1622): a small error usu. of a single letter (as in writing)