Revised 2011
literaturenoun
Factsheet
What does the noun literature mean?
There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun literature. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
literature has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
How common is the noun literature?
About 90occurrences per million words in modern written English
1750 | 7.4 |
1760 | 12 |
1770 | 18 |
1780 | 25 |
1790 | 27 |
1800 | 35 |
1810 | 33 |
1820 | 35 |
1830 | 39 |
1840 | 43 |
1850 | 45 |
1860 | 47 |
1870 | 53 |
1880 | 62 |
1890 | 78 |
1900 | 76 |
1910 | 73 |
1920 | 79 |
1930 | 78 |
1940 | 75 |
1950 | 78 |
1960 | 87 |
1970 | 92 |
1980 | 90 |
1990 | 89 |
2000 | 82 |
2010 | 82 |
How is the noun literature pronounced?
British English
/ˈlɪt(ə)rᵻtʃə/
LIT-uh-ruh-chuh
U.S. English
/ˈlɪdər(ə)tʃər/
LID-uhr-uh-chuhr
/ˈlɪdərəˌtʃʊ(ə)r/
LID-uhr-uh-choor
Where does the noun literature come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the noun literature is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for literature is from around 1450, in G. Boccaccio's De Claris Mulieribus.
literature is a borrowing from Latin; probably modelled on a French lexical item.
Etymons: Latin litterātūra, literātūra.
Nearby entries
- literated, adj.1611–47
- literately, adv.1600–
- literati, n.1620–
- literatim, adv. & adj.1623–
- literation, n.1783–
- literatist, n.1660–
- literatize, v.1836–
- literato, n.1655–
- literator, n.a1641–
- literatory, adj.1652–
- literature, n.c1450–
- literatus, n.1614–
- literose, adj.1859–
- literosity, n.1887–
- lith, n.¹Old English–
- lith, n.²Old English–1275
- lith, n.³c1275–1377
- lith, n.⁴c1300–1485
- lith, n.⁵1955–
- lith, v.Old English–1540
- -lith, comb. form
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for literature, n.
literature, n. was revised in September 2011.
literature, n. was last modified in September 2023.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into literature, n. in September 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1903)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Factsheet for literature, n.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- literated, adj.1611–47
- literately, adv.1600–
- literati, n.1620–
- literatim, adv. & adj.1623–
- literation, n.1783–
- literatist, n.1660–
- literatize, v.1836–
- literato, n.1655–
- literator, n.a1641–
- literatory, adj.1652–
- literature, n.c1450–
- literatus, n.1614–
- literose, adj.1859–
- literosity, n.1887–
- lith, n.¹Old English–
- lith, n.²Old English–1275
- lith, n.³c1275–1377
- lith, n.⁴c1300–1485
- lith, n.⁵1955–
- lith, v.Old English–1540
- -lith, comb. form