Literal means taking words in their plain and exact sense. A literal translation, the literal meaning, literally true.
A literal translation follows the words and often loses the sense, which is why it is not usually a compliment. Literally has come to be used as an intensifier meaning the opposite of literally, and it annoys a great many people, though the use is centuries old.
1adjectiveliteralTaking words in their plain and exact sense.
“My son took "raining cats and dogs" in its literal sense and ran to the window.”
literal is a quality of meaning.
Latin litteralis means of letters, from littera, a letter of the alphabet.
Old French
literal
Middle English
literal
English, today
literal
Built from
From Middle English literal, from Old French literal. From Middle English literal, from Old French literal, from Latin litteralis or literalis (“of or pertaining to letters or to writing”), from Latin littera or litera (“a letter”). See letter.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA