literature
The body of all written works.
Noun 4 meanings
The body of all written works.
The collected creative writing of a nation, people, group, or culture.
“He’s studying English literature at university.”
All the papers, treatises, etc. published in academic journals on a particular subject.
Written fiction of a high standard.
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, literally "book + -craft", see Modern English bookcraft.
LITERATURE at a glance
LITERATURE has 10 letters and scores 10 points in Scrabble (L 1 + I 1 + T 1 + E 1 + R 1 + A 1 + T 1 + U 1 + R 1 + E 1) and 12 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #2,340 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with literature
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