# literature

Pronunciation: US say "LIT-ur-uh-chur" /ˈlɪt.ɚ.ə.t͡ʃɚ/; UK say "LIT-ruh-chuh" /ˈlɪt.(ə.)ɹə.t͡ʃə(ɹ)/

## Noun

1. The body of written works, especially creative ones, produced by a particular language, nation, culture or period, or by humanity as a whole.
   - Simple: All the books, poems and plays of one language, country, culture or time, or of the whole world.
   - _Russian literature of the nineteenth century produced many enduring novels._
   - _Scholars trace the roots of African American literature to oral storytelling traditions._
2. The body of published research and scholarship on a particular subject, including journal articles, books, theses and reports.
   - Simple: All the studies, papers and books that experts have written about one subject.
   - _The literature on climate change has grown enormously over two decades._
   - _A good review summarizes the existing literature before proposing new research._
3. Written works, such as novels, poems and plays, valued for their artistic quality.
   - Simple: Writing such as novels, poems and plays that is so good people see it as art.
   - _Critics debate whether genre fiction can ever count as true literature._
   - _The course traces literature from Austen to Morrison._
4. Leaflets, brochures, booklets and similar printed matter that inform people about a product, service, cause or organization.
   - Simple: Printed papers, like leaflets or small booklets, that tell you about a product, service, cause or group.
   - _Ask at the front desk for literature on our home insurance plans._
   - _The charity mailed its literature to thousands of homes ahead of the fundraising drive._

## Noun

5. Skill in reading and writing; literacy. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A person's ability to read and write.

## Origin

The word came through Middle English and Old French littérature from Latin literatura, built on littera ("letter"), whose origin is uncertain; one theory traces it through Etruscan to the Ancient Greek diphthérā ("leather for writing on"). It replaced the native Old English word bōccræft.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/literature (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).