| 释义 |
literal, a. and n.|ˈlɪtərəl|
Forms: 5–8 litteral, (5, 6 lyt(t)urall, 6 lyt(t)ar-, -erall), 6–7 lit(t)erall, 4– literal.
[a. OF. literal (F. littéral), ad. L. litterālis, f. littera letter n.]
A. adj.
1. a. Of or pertaining to letters of the alphabet; of the nature of letters, alphabetical; † expressed by letters, written. † Of a verse = alliterative.
c1475Partenay 6605 And so haue I don, after myne entent, With litterall carectes for your sake. 1585Jas. I Ess. Poesie (Arb.) 63 Be Literall I meane, that the maist pairt of zour lyne, sall rynne vpon a letter, as this tumbling lyne rynnis vpon F. 1621H. Elsing Debates Ho. Lords (Camden) 15 Whether we shoulde expecte a literall acknowledgment of the charge, or to hear a personall confession of the same. 1632Lithgow Trav. viii. 348, I wrot this literal Distich: Glance, Glorious Geneue, Gospell-Guiding Gem; Great God Gouerne, Good Geneues Ghostly Game. 1733–63N. Hooke Rom. Hist. (ed. 5) I. 8 The art of expressing their thoughts by literal characters. 1793Smeaton Edystone L. Contents 7 Literal References.
b. Of a misprint (occas. of a scribal error): Affecting a letter. (Cf. B. 2.)
1606Holland Sueton. To Rdr., If there happen to occur some Errata..ye will..either pass them over with connivency if they be literall or else taxe with some easie censure in case they be materiall. 1699Bentley Phal. iii. 112 'Twas a literal fault in that Copy, which Casaubon used. 1748Anson's Voy. Introd. 6, I know of none but literal mistakes, some of which are corrected in the table of Errata. 1841Myers Cath. Th. iii. viii. 26 There are just the same kind of literal imperfections in them [the books of the Bible] that there are in all others. 1880Athenæum 25 Sept. 398/1 It is..vexatious that, through the inattention of the printers, any literal errors should have crept into it.
c. Of mathematical notation and computation: Performed by means of letters. Of a quantity, an equation, etc.: Denoted or expressed by a letter or letters. Opposed to numerical.
1673Kersey Algebra I. i. 2 Algebra is by late Writers divided into two kinds; to wit, Numeral and Literal (or Specious). 1706W. Jones Syn. Palmar. Matheseos A iij b, The First Principles of Literal Computation, usually called Algebra. 1755Johnson s.v., The literal notation of numbers was known to Europeans before the cyphers. 1797Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) I. 399/2 The literal calculus and the algebraic rules of Harriot. 1842Francis Dict. Arts etc., Literal Equation.
2. Of a translation, version, transcript, etc.: Representing the very words of the original; verbally exact. † Also, (the) exact (words of a passage).
1599Massinger etc. Old Law i. i, Pray you repeat the literall words expresly. 1692Dryden Juvenal Ded. (1697) 87 The common way..is not a literal Translation, but a kind of Paraphrase. a1753R. Newton Theophrastus' Char. (1754) p. viii, I do not say it is necessary, that all Greek Authors should be attended with versions so literal. c1850Arab. Nts. (Rtldg.) 258, I have had the honour to give you both a literal and a faithful narrative of the conversation. 1853Kane Grinnell Exp. ix. (1856) 67 This may excuse a literal transcript from my diary. 1871B. Taylor Faust (1875) I. Notes 227, I shall not imitate Shelley in adding a literal translation.
3. a. Theol. Pertaining to the ‘letter’ (of Scripture); the distinctive epithet of that sense or interpretation (of a text) which is obtained by taking its words in their natural or customary meaning, and applying the ordinary rules of grammar; opposed to mystical, allegorical, etc. † Also occas. of a commandment, law, etc.: That is to be interpreted literally.
1382Wyclif Prol. 43 Holy scripture hath iiij vndirstondingis; literal, allegorik, moral, and anagogik. 1460J. Capgrave Chron. (Rolls) 107 Not only with litteral teching, but with many mysti exposiciones. 1502Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) ii. ix. 108 Unto the lyturall sens, by this commaundement is pryncypally defended manslaughter. c1530More Answ. Frith Wks. 835/1 If he sayd that the wordes of Chryste might beside the lyttarall sence be vnderstanden in an allegorye, I woulde wel agre wyth him. 1561T. Norton Calvin's Inst. ii. 97 The couenant of God made with the auncient people, was voide, bicause it was onely literall. 1597Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. lix. §2 Where a litterall construction will stand, the farthest from the letter is commonly the worst. 1605Camden Rem. (1674) 8 b, Moses received of God a literal Law..to be imparted to all, and another Mystical. 1664H. More Myst. Iniq. 433 The Prophets predicting things of them in reference to the first Completion which is Literal. a1761Law Comf. Weary Pilgr. (1809) 114 All these texts, which a learning, merely literal, has thus mistaken, do only prove [etc.]. 1862Stanley Jew. Ch. (1877) I. vi. 125 The literal meaning of the incident is almost lost in its high spiritual application.
b. Hence, by extension, applied to the etymological or the relatively primary sense of a word, or to the sense expressed by the actual wording of a passage, as distinguished from any metaphorical or merely suggested meaning.
1597G. Harvey Trimming T. Nashe Wks. (Grosart) III. 36, I giue not euery word their litteral sence. 1638R. Baker tr. Balzac's Lett. (vol. III.) 12 Never eares were more attentive,..then those of our family when I read your letter..they were not satisfied to have onely a literal interpretation. 1718Freethinker No. 35. 255 If you mention the Golden Age to him, he understands it in a literal sense. 1763Chesterfield Let. to Son 18 Dec. (1892) III. 1302, I see very few people; and, in the literal sense of the word, I hear nothing. 1809–10Coleridge Friend (1865) 156 Advocates for reform in the literal sense of the word. 1902Greenough & Kittredge Words & their Ways xvii. 235 Position and situation are similar to state in their literal meaning.
c. Of persons: Apt to take literally what is spoken figuratively or with humorous exaggeration or irony; prosaic, matter-of-fact.
1778F. Burney Evelina (1791) II. xxxvii. 246, ‘I fancy you will find no person..call going about a few places in a morning seeing Bath’. ‘Mayhap, then,’ said the literal Captain, ‘you think we should see it better by going about at midnight?’ 1837H. Martineau Soc. Amer. III. 78 Their tendency..to something of the literal dulness which Charles Lamb complains of in relation to the Scotch. 1858O. W. Holmes Aut. Breakf.-t. iii. 20 One man who is a little too literal can spoil the talk of a whole tableful of men of esprit. 1865M. Arnold Ess. Crit. Pref. 12 The earnest, prosaic, practical, austerely literal future.
Comb.a1849H. Coleridge Ess. (1851) I. 320 Literal-minded, unimaginative..individuals.
d. Of composition: Free from figures of speech, exaggeration, or allusion.
1736Butler Anal. i. iii. 88 They are not to be taken as intended for a literal delineation of what is in fact the particular scheme of the universe. 1887M. Morris Claverhouse iv. (1888) 66 His own despatch is singularly literal and straightforward.
e. literal-minded a., having a literal mind; characteristic of one who takes a matter-of-fact or unimaginative view of things. Hence literal-mindedness.
1869Wesleyan-Methodist Mag. Jan. 28 An old friend, whom we used to call ‘Bacon’, because he..was a literal-minded man. 1905J. L. Lowes in PMLA XX. 816 A strangely literal-minded, not to say naïve, interpretation of the charming fiction of the Prologue. 1927Glasgow Herald 31 Oct. 10 The gentleman married the lady on the strength of her literal-mindedness. 1941[see analyst 6]. 1944Mind LIII. 238 One of my aims is..to formulate, in a manner which is freed from all merely technical literal-mindedness, the epistemological idea and significance of pure semantics. 1957Essays & Stud. X. 18 It delivers us from too much matter-of-fact and from the dreary flats of literal-mindedness. 1974M. Fido R. Kipling 80/2 ‘If you won't retract the lies..I'll blow out your goddam brains!’ ‘If I don't do certain things, you'll kill me?’ Rudyard asked, with infuriating English primness and literal-mindedness.
4. Used to denote that the accompanying n. has its literal sense, without metaphor, exaggeration, or inaccuracy; literally so called.
1646Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. i. iii. 11 The literall and downe-right adorement of Cats, Lizards, and Beetles. 1659Pearson Creed (1839) 385 When we say Christ ascended, we understand a literal and local ascent..of his humanity. 1679Harby Key Script. i. 5 The seventh Head also (was not Rome Papal, but) appertained to Rome Literal. 1867Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) I. ii. 18 The literal extirpation of a nation is an impossibility.
†5. Of or pertaining to letters or epistles; epistolary. Obs.
c1645Howell Lett. (1650) III. 4 To hold this litterall correspondence I desire but the parings of your time..let our Letters be as Eccho's. a1657R. Loveday Lett. (1663) 168 To..shorten the distance betwixt us, by a literal intercourse.
†6. Of or pertaining to letters or literature; = literary. Obs.
c1485Digby Myst. (1882) ii. 658 Lackyng lytturall scyens. 1591G. Fletcher Russe Commw. (Hakl. Soc.) 63 They excell in no kinde of common arte, much lesse in any learning or litterall kinde of knowledge. 1604T. Wright Passions iii. iv. 102 If they be delighted in musicke they present them with instruments,..if in studie with literall labours.
B. n.
†1. A literal interpretation or meaning. Obs.
1630Donne Serm. xiii. 127 S. Gregory hath..given us many Morals (as he cals them) upon this Booke [Job], but truly not many Literals for..he bends all the sufferings of Iob figuratively, mystically upon Christ. 1646Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. iv. x. 204 How dangerous it is in sensible things to use metaphoricall expressions unto the people, and what absurd conceits they will swallow in their literals.
2. Printing. A misprint of a letter.
1622R. Hawkins Voy. S. Sea [170] Errata sic corrige... The litteralls are commended to favour. 1880Print. Trades Jrnl. xxx. 6 We noticed rather a large number of literals.
3. Computers. An operand in a program which directly specifies the value of a constant, or defines itself rather than serving as an address or label.
1960Nebula: a Programming Lang. (Ferranti, Ltd.) iii. 5 A literal need not always be a numerical quantity. For example, the item address may have a value which is ‘216 London Road’ and this whole phrase (viz., 216 London Road) is then a literal. 1962D. N. Chorafas Programming Syst. for Electronic Computers ix. 107 Commercial Translator distinguishes among three different types of constant: defined constants, literals and basic constants. Ibid., A literal is a purely numerical constant which is introduced in a procedure statement as the need arises. 1968S. M. Bernard System/360 COBOL i. 52 A literal is a self-defining value; that is, it does not have to be separately defined by the programmer. 1. Non-numeric literals... 2. Numeric literals. 1968N. Chapin 360 Programing ii. 19 The symbolic addresses used by the programer take four main forms: self-defining values, literals, symbolic names, and relative addresses. 1970O. Dopping Computers & Data Processing xix. 311 In certain languages..a literal must be surrounded by quotation marks. In those systems, the literal may even begin with a letter. In that case, we could..write the instruction print ‘sum’ for ordering the computer to print the word sum. 1971L. Coddington Quick COBOL ii. 16 Literals are: 777, which is a numeric literal..and alpha⁓numeric literals (YES, NO, SMITH, ZZZZ) which consist of letters... They are not true data-names: ‘SMITH’ is not only the name of a location in store, but the contents of that location. The numeric literals need no explanation. |