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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary lit·er·a·ture ETYMOLOGY Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin litteratura writing, grammar, learning, from litteratus DATE 14th century 1. archaic : literary culture 2. the production of literary work especially as an occupation 3. a. (1) writings in prose or verse; especially : writings having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest (2) an example of such writings what came out, though rarely literature, was always a roaring good story — People b. the body of written works produced in a particular language, country, or age c. the body of writings on a particular subject scientific literature d. printed matter (as leaflets or circulars) campaign literature 4. the aggregate of a usually specified type of musical compositions English Etymology literature late 14c., from L. lit(t)eratura "learning, writing, grammar," originally "writing formed with letters," from lit(t)era "letter." Originally "book learning" (it replaced O.E. 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. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 ☞ literature lit·era·ture / 5litrEtFE(r); NAmE also -tFur / noun[U] 1. pieces of writing that are valued as works of art, especially novels, plays and poems (in contrast to technical books and newspapers, magazines, etc.) 文学；文学作品: French literature 法国文学 great works of literature 文学巨着 2. ~ (on sth) pieces of writing or printed information on a particular subject (某学科的)文献,着作,资料: I've read all the available literature on keeping rabbits. 我阅读了我能找到的养兔的全部资料。 sales literature 推销商品的宣传资料 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English literature noun 1 written works of art ADJ. classical, contemporary, modern | great QUANT. piece, work VERB + LITERATURE read, study 2 writing on a particular subject ADJ. extensive, voluminous | promotional, sales QUANT. body the growing body of literature on development issues PREP. ~ about I picked up some literature about pensions. | ~ on There's an extensive literature on the subject. Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged lit·er·a·ture \ˈlid.ərəˌchu̇(ə)r, ˈlitərə-, ˈli.trə-, ˈlid.ə(r)ˌch-, -ˌchu̇ə, -_chə(r), -rə.ˌtyu̇-, -rəˌtu̇-\ noun (-s) Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English litterature, from Latin litteratura, literatura writing, grammar, learning, from litteratus, literatus literate + -ura -ure 1. archaic : knowledge of books : literary culture < in many things he was grotesquely ignorant; he was a man of very small literature — W.D.Howells > 2. : the production of literary work especially as an occupation < continually dissociated himself from literature … as a profession — Philip Rahv > 3. a. : writings in prose or verse; especially : writings having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest < literature stands related to man as science stands to nature — J.H.Newman > < our conceptions of types of character and the manifold variations of these types is due mainly to literature — John Dewey > b. : the body of written works produced in a particular language, country, or age < they speak a … sonorous and flexible language, and their literature is not unworthy of their language — H.T.Buckle > < that superb mess of thought and observation, lust, rhetoric, and pedantry, that we call Renaissance literature — Clive Bell > c. : the body of writings on a particular subject < the literature on field sports is a mass of technicalities held together with a sticky kind of nature loving — J.M.Barzun > < any scientist … will answer that at the beginning of an attack on any problem his first task is to look up the existing literature — T.H.Savory > d. : leaflets, handbills, circulars, or other printed matter of any kind < asked for volunteers to distribute campaign literature > < induced to migrate by glowing real-estate development literature — American Guide Series: Tennessee > 4. : the aggregate of musical compositions < programs … representing within any one year the greatest possible breadth of musical literature — William Schuman > specifically : compositions of regional or historical significance or for any particular instrument or group of instruments < a cross section of the Brahms piano literature — Saturday Review > |
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