different between idiom vs literal

For Wiktionary's handling of idioms, see Wiktionary:Idioms

English

Etymology

From Middle French idiome, and its source, Late Latin idioma, from Ancient Greek ?????? (idí?ma, “a peculiarity, property, a peculiar phraseology, idiom”), from ????????? (idioûsthai, “to make one's own, appropriate to oneself”), from ????? (ídios, “one's own, pertaining to oneself, private, personal, peculiar, separate”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??d??m/

Noun

idiom (countable and uncountable, plural idioms or idiomata)

1. A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, person, or group of people.

   Synonyms: idiomaticness, idiomaticity

2. A language or language variety; specifically, a restricted dialect used in a given historical period, context etc.
   • 2010, Christopher Hitchens, "The Other L-Word", Vanity Fair, 13 Jan 2010:

     Many parents and teachers have become irritated to the point of distraction at the way the weed-style growth of "like" has spread through the idiom of the young.

3. An established expression whose meaning may not be not deducible from the literal meanings of its component words, often peculiar to a given language.
   • 2008, Patricia Hampl, “You’re History”, in Patricia Hampl and Elaine Tyler May (editors), Tell Me True: Memoir, History, and Writing a Life, Minnesota Historical Society, ?ISBN, page 134:

     You’re history, we say […] . Surely it is an American idiom. Impossible to imagine a postwar European saying, “You’re history. . . . That’s history,” meaning fuhgeddaboudit, pal.

4. An artistic style (for example, in art, architecture, or music); an instance of such a style.

5. (programming) A programming construct or phraseology that is characteristic of the language.

Synonyms

• (language variety): dialect (loosely), language (loosely), languoid, lect, vernacular (loosely)
• (phrase): expression (loosely), form of words (loosely), idiotism, locution (loosely), phrase (loosely)

Derived terms

Related terms

• idiolect
• idiosyncratic
• idiot

Translations

See also

• Category:Idioms by language

Further reading

• American idioms - a comprehensive list of idioms, browsable through alphabetical links. Includes parts of speech, definitions and example sentences.
• English and American Idioms - RSS subscription channel
• Glossary of Linguistics
• Today's English Idioms at GoEnglish.com

• idiom in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• idiom in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• imido, imido-, modii

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [??d?jom]
• Hyphenation: idiom

Noun

idiom m inan

1. idiom (established expression whose meaning is not deducible from the literal meanings of its component words)
   • 1972, Nový orient:

     P?ed b?žným „Nashledanou", které Peršané vyjad?ují slovy „nech? je B?h vaším opatrovníkem", dáme p?ednost idiomu „vaše laskavost nebo pozornost je (byla) nesmírná" nebo „nech? se vysoká laskavost nezmenší" ...

   • 1985, Studie a práce linguistické:

     Stejn? málo významné byly pro IF pokusy p?iblížit význam idiom? ve vágních pojmech p?enesenosti, obraznosti, pr?hlednosti apod.

   • 1996, ?asopis pro moderní filologii:

     Trochu konzervativní ?eský uživatel Schemannova slovníku bude možná zpo?átku postrádat u n?kterých idiom? jejich vysv?tlení, jak byl zvyklý kup?íkladu z dosud (do r. 1993) nejobsažn?jšího slovníku tohoto typu ...

   • 2005, Zden?k St?íbrný, Proud ?asu:

     Vyjád?il to p?kným anglickým idiomem „They have added insult to your injury“.

   • 2014, František ?ermák, Jazyk a slovník. Vybrané lingvistické studie:

     U idiom? pak m?žeme postulovat existenci p?edevším po?etných sekundárních symbol? (otev?ená hlava), pop?. ikon? (kamenný obli?ej), mén? ?asto však už sekundárních index? (co do, kór když).

Declension

Further reading

• idiom in P?íru?ní slovník jazyka ?eského, 1935–1957
• idiom in Slovník spisovného jazyka ?eského, 1960–1971, 1989
• idiom in Akademický slovník cizích slov, 1995, at prirucka.ujc.cas.cz
• idiom in Nový encyklopedický slovník ?eštiny, czechency.org
• ?eská frazeologie, Naše ?e? (1984)

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch idioom.

Noun

idiom (first-person possessive idiomku, second-person possessive idiommu, third-person possessive idiomnya)

1. idiom (idiomatic expression)
2. idiom (artistic style)
3. (rare, dated) idiom (language or language variety)

Further reading

• “idiom” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) Daring, Jakarta: Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 2016.

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?id.j?m/

Noun

idiom m inan

1. idiom (idiomatic expression)
2. idiom (artistic style)
3. (rare, dated) idiom (language or language variety)

Declension

Romanian

Etymology

From French idiome

Noun

idiom n (plural idiomuri)

1. idiom

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /id?o?m/
• Hyphenation: i?di?om

Noun

idì?m m (Cyrillic spelling ??????)

1. idiom (idiomatic expression)
2. idiom (artistic style)
3. (linguistics) idiom (language or language variety)

Declension

English

Alternative forms

• litteral (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French literal, from Late Latin litteralis, also literalis (“of or pertaining to letters or to writing”), from Latin littera, litera (“a letter”); see letter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?l?t(?)??l/
• Homophone: littoral

Adjective

literal (comparative more literal, superlative most literal)

1. Exactly as stated; read or understood without additional interpretation; according to the letter or verbal expression; real; not figurative or metaphorical.
   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie

     a middle course between the rigour of literal translations and the liberty of paraphrasts
2. Following the letter or exact words; not free; not taking liberties.

3. (uncommon) Consisting of, or expressed by, letters.

4. (of a person) Giving a strict or literal construction; unimaginative; matter-of-fact.
5. (proscribed) Used non-literally as an intensifier; see literally for usage notes.

Antonyms

• (exactly as stated): figurative, metaphorical

Derived terms

Related terms

• letter
• literacy
• literary
• literate
• literature

Translations

Noun

literal (plural literals)

1. (epigraphy, typography) A misprint (or occasionally a scribal error) that affects a letter.

   Synonym: typo

2. (programming) A value, as opposed to an identifier, written into the source code of a computer program.

   Synonym: literal constant

3. (logic) A propositional variable or the negation of a propositional variable. ^Wp

Translations

See also

• constant
• prime formula

References

Further reading

• literal in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• literal in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• tallier

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin litter?lis.

Adjective

literal (masculine and feminine plural literals)

1. literal

Derived terms

• literalment

Related terms

• lletra

Further reading

• “literal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin litter?lis.

Adjective

literal m or f (plural literais)

1. literal

Derived terms

• literalmente

Related terms

• letra

Further reading

• “literal” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?l?t???a?l/
• Rhymes: -a?l

Adjective

literal (comparative literaler, superlative am literalsten)

1. (of cultures, etc., not of individuals) literate

Declension

See also

• schreibkundig

Indonesian

Etymology

From English literal, from Old French literal, from Late Latin litteralis, also literalis (“of or pertaining to letters or to writing”), from Latin littera, litera (“a letter”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [lit??ral]
• Hyphenation: li?tê?ral

Adjective

literal

1. literal.

   Synonym: harfiah

Further reading

• “literal” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) Daring, Jakarta: Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 2016.

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin litter?lis.

Adjective

literal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular literale)

1. literal (exactly as stated)
2. literal (relating to or composed of letters)

Descendants

• English: literal
• French: littéral

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin litter?lis.

Pronunciation

Adjective

literal m or f (plural literais, comparable)

1. literal (understood exactly as written, without additional interpretation)

Derived terms

• literalmente

Noun

literal m (plural literais)

1. (programming) literal (value written in the source code)

Related terms

• letra
• letrado
• literatura

Further reading

• “literal” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913

Romanian

Etymology

From French littéral, from Latin litteralis.

Adjective

literal m or n (feminine singular literal?, masculine plural literali, feminine and neuter plural literale)

1. literal

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin litter?lis.

Adjective

literal (plural literales)

1. literal

Derived terms

• literalmente

Related terms

• letra

Further reading

• “literal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.