Definitions for Literature
ˈlɪt ər ə tʃər, -ˌtʃʊər, ˈlɪ trə-lit·er·a·ture

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.7 / 20 votes

1. literaturenoun

   creative writing of recognized artistic value

2. literature, litnoun

   the humanistic study of a body of literature

   "he took a course in Russian lit"

3. literaturenoun

   published writings in a particular style on a particular subject

   "the technical literature"; "one aspect of Waterloo has not yet been treated in the literature"

4. literaturenoun

   the profession or art of a writer

   "her place in literature is secure"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.3 / 9 votes

1. literaturenoun

   The body of all written works.

2. literaturenoun

   The collected creative writing of a nation, people, group or culture.

3. literaturenoun

   All the papers, treatises etc. published in academic journals on a particular subject.

4. literaturenoun

   Written fiction of a high standard.

   SF is rarely literature because the characters are so poorly realised. - Adam Cadre

5. Etymology: From literatura or litteratura.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Literaturenoun

   Learning; skill in letters.

   Etymology: literatura, Latin.

   This kingdom hath been famous for good literature; and if preferment attend deservers, there will not want supplies. Francis Bacon, Advice to Villiers.

   When men of learning are acted by a knowledge of the world, they give a reputation to literature, and convince the world of its usefulness. Joseph Addison, Freeholder, №. 377.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Literature

   Literature broadly is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include oral literature, much of which has been transcribed. Literature is a method of recording, preserving, and transmitting knowledge and entertainment, and can also have a social, psychological, spiritual, or political role. Literature, as an art form, can also include works in various non-fiction genres, such as biography, diaries, memoir, letters, and the essay. Within its broad definition, literature includes non-fictional books, articles or other printed information on a particular subject.Etymologically, the term derives from Latin literatura/litteratura "learning, a writing, grammar," originally "writing formed with letters," from litera/littera "letter". In spite of this, the term has also been applied to spoken or sung texts. Developments in print technology have allowed an ever-growing distribution and proliferation of written works, which now includes electronic literature. Literature is classified according to whether it is poetry, prose or drama, and such works are categorized according to historical periods, or their adherence to certain aesthetic features, or genre.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. literature

   Literature can be defined as written works, including fiction, poetry, drama, and non-fiction, that are considered to possess artistic or intellectual merit and are intended to be read and appreciated for their literary qualities. It encompasses various forms of storytelling and expression, often reflecting the cultural, social, historical, and individual experiences and perspectives of the authors. Literature is typically characterized by its creative use of language, narrative structure, symbolism, and thematic exploration, and it has the power to entertain, educate, inspire, and provoke thought and reflection.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:3.8 / 8 votes

1. Literaturenoun

   learning; acquaintance with letters or books

2. Literaturenoun

   the collective body of literary productions, embracing the entire results of knowledge and fancy preserved in writing; also, the whole body of literary productions or writings upon a given subject, or in reference to a particular science or branch of knowledge, or of a given country or period; as, the literature of Biblical criticism; the literature of chemistry

3. Literaturenoun

   the class of writings distinguished for beauty of style or expression, as poetry, essays, or history, in distinction from scientific treatises and works which contain positive knowledge; belles-lettres

4. Literaturenoun

   the occupation, profession, or business of doing literary work

WikidataRate this definition:3.7 / 19 votes

1. Literature

   Literature is the art of written work and can, in some circumstances, refer exclusively to published sources. The word literature literally means "things made from letters" and the pars pro toto term "letters" is sometimes used to signify "literature," as in the figures of speech "arts and letters" and "man of letters." Literature is commonly classified as having two major forms—fiction & non-fiction—and two major techniques—poetry and prose. Literature may consist of texts based on factual information, as well as on original imagination, such as polemical works as well as autobiography, and reflective essays as well as belles-lettres. Literature can be classified according to historical periods, genres, and political influences. The concept of genre, which earlier was limited, has broadened over the centuries. A genre consists of artistic works which fall within a certain central theme, and examples of genre include romance, mystery, crime, fantasy, erotica, and adventure, among others. Important historical periods in English literature include Old English, Middle English, the Renaissance, the 17th Century Shakespearean and Elizabethan times, the 18th Century Restoration, 19th Century Victorian, and 20th Century Modernism. Important intellectual movements that have influenced the study of literature include feminism, post-colonialism, psychoanalysis, post-structuralism, post-modernism, romanticism, and Marxism.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:4.5 / 4 votes

1. Literature

   lit′ėr-a-tūr, n. the science of letters or what is written: the whole body of literary compositions in any language, or on a given subject: all literary productions except those relating to positive science and art, usually confined, however, to the belles-lettres.—adj. Lit′eratured (Shak.), learned, having literary knowledge.—Light literature, books which can be read and understood without mental exertion: fiction; Polite literature, belles-lettres. [Fr.,—L. literatura—litera, a letter.]

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:3.7 / 6 votes

1. Literature

   defined by Carlyle "as an 'apocalypse of nature,' a revealing of the 'open secret,' a 'continuous revelation' of the God-like in the terrestrial and common, which ever endures there, and is brought out now in this dialect, now in that, with various degrees of clearness ... there being touches of it (i. e. the God-like) in the dark stormful indignation of a Byron, nay, in the withered mockery of a French sceptic, his mockery of the false, a love and worship of the true ... how much more in the sphere harmony of a Shakespeare, the cathedral music of a Milton; something of it too in those humble, genuine, lark-notes of a Burns, skylark starting from the humble furrow far overhead into the blue depths, and singing to us so genuinely there."

The Roycroft DictionaryRate this definition:2.5 / 6 votes

1. literature

   The art of saying a thing by saying something else just as good.

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:3.3 / 6 votes

1. Literature

   Writings having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest. The body of written works produced in a particular language, country, or age. (Webster, 3d ed)

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. literatureverb

   Language in core translation of a literal person or particular thing having territory expressing the object of a look, gesture, thought, action, or plan to process a result for the collective. 1.) written works considered ofsl superior or lasting artistic merit. Books and writings published on a particular subject.

   I will and shall be a student of literature as long as I live in the flesh.

   Etymology: Documentation

   
   

   Submitted by Tehorah_Elyon on April 10, 2024  

Matched Categories

1. • Literary Study
   • Literature
   • Profession
   • Writing

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Literature' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1951

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Literature' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4389

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Literature' in Nouns Frequency: #886

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Anagrams for Literature »

1. literateur

2. literatuer

How to pronounce Literature?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Literature in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Literature in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Literature in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of Literature in a Sentence

1. Henry David Thoreau:

   Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay, to life itself than this incessant business.

2. John Norcross:

   There's hundreds of studies in the health psychology literature suggesting in fact that social support does in fact make a difference.

3. Cyril Connolly:

   Literature is the art of writing something that will be read twice; journalism what will be grasped at once.

4. Allen Collins:

   When conditions are right for them to make jellies, they produce the jellyfish in vast quantities, people have studied the jellyfish in certain areas quite well and there are instances where it does look like there’s one particular region is having greater numbers of jellyfish. In the literature sometimes people describe it as a global phenomenon and on that we’re just not sure.

5. Oscar Wilde, The Critic as Artist, 1891:

   But what is the difference between literature and journalism? ...Journalism is unreadable and literature is not read. That is all.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Literature
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Literature
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=Literature
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literature
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Literature
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=Literature
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=Literature
9. ^ The Nuttall Encyclopedia
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12342/pg12342-images.html#Literature
10. ^ The Roycroft Dictionary
    https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36566/36566-h/36566-h.htm#:~:text=Literature
11. ^ Usage in printed sources
    https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Literature