literally
/ˈlɪtəəli/LIH-tur-uh-lee
/ˈlɪtɚəli/LIH-tur-uh-lee
Meaningin a letter-by-letter way
Common meaning: exactly as the words say
- literan alphabet character; (plural) writingLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1071 · scan
- aladjective ending: relating to
- lyadverb ending: in a way
Journey through time
- Latinlittera‘an alphabet character’
- Englishliteral‘following the exact words’
- Englishformed in English from literalliterally‘exactly as the words say’ · today
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Formed in English from literal + -ly.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), LITERAL, p.336 · scan
Roots
- littera Latin “an alphabet character; (plural) writing”
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app