LIT'ERAL, adjective [Latin litera, a letter.] 1. According to the letter; primitive; real; not figurative or metaphorical; as the literal meaning of a phrase. 2. Following the letter or exact words; not free; as a literal translation. 3. Consisting of letters. The literal notation of numbers was known to Europeans before the ciphers. LIT'ERAL, noun literal meaning. [Not used.]
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI