literature的词源

英文词源

literature: literature: [14] Latin littera meant ‘letter’, and was the source of English letter. From it was derived literātus ‘having knowledge of letters’, hence ‘educated, learned’ (source of English literate [15]); and this formed the basis of the further derivative litterātūra, which denoted ‘writing formed with letters’, and by extension ‘learning, grammar’. English took it over partly direct, partly via French littérature. From the same source comes English literal [14].
=> letter, literal, obliterate
literature (n.): late 14c., from Latin literatura/litteratura "learning, a writing, grammar," originally "writing formed with letters," from litera/littera "letter" (see letter (n.1)). Originally "book learning" (it replaced Old English boccræft), the meaning "literary production or work" is first attested 1779 in Johnson's "Lives of the English Poets" (he didn't include this definition in his dictionary, however); that of "body of writings from a period or people" is first recorded 1812.
Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree. [Ezra Pound, "ABC of Reading"]
Meaning "the whole of the writing on a particular subject" is from 1860; sense of "printed matter generally" is from 1895. The Latin word also is the source of Spanish literatura, Italian letteratura, German Literatur.

来自拉丁语litera,书写，字母，词源同letter.引申词义文学作品。

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：literature 词源，literature 含义。

词根词缀： -liter-文字,字母 + -ate形容词词尾(e略) + -ure名词词尾