literature

== English == === Alternative forms === lit. (abbreviation) literatuer (obsolete) === Etymology === From Middle English literature, from Old French littérature, from Latin literatura or litteratura, from littera (“letter”), from Etruscan, from Ancient Greek διφθέρᾱ (diphthérā, “tablet”). Displaced native Old English bōccræft. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ˈlɪt.(ə.)ɹə.t͡ʃə(ɹ)/ (Canada, US) IPA(key): /ˈlɪt.ɚ.ə.t͡ʃɚ/, [ˈlɪɾ.ɚ.ə.t͡ʃɚ], /ˈlɪ.tɹə.t͡ʃɚ/, [ˈlɪ.t͡ʃɹə.t͡ʃɚ], /ˈlɪtɚ.t͡ʃɚ/ (Midwestern US English) IPA(key): /ˈlɪt.ə.t͡ʃɚ/ === Noun === literature (usually uncountable, plural literatures) The body of all written works. The collected creative writing of a nation, people, group, or culture. (usually preceded by the) All the papers, treatises, etc. published in academic journals on a particular subject. Written fiction of a high standard. 2008, Adam Cadre However, even “literary” science fiction rarely qualifies as literature, because it treats characters as sets of traits rather than as fully realized human beings with unique life stories. Synonym: literary fiction (obsolete) Literacy; ability to read and write. ==== Meronyms ==== See also Thesaurus:literature ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== letter literal literacy literate literary ==== Translations ==== === Further reading === Raymond Williams (1983), “Literature”, in Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society, revised American edition, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, published 1985, →ISBN, page 183. === Anagrams === literateur, literatuer