Dictionary definition · literal
noun
- a mistake in printed matter resulting from mechanical failures of some kind
adjective
- being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something"her actual motive"
- without interpretation or embellishment"a literal depiction of the scene before him"
- limited to the explicit meaning of a word or text"a literal translation"
- avoiding embellishment or exaggeration (used for emphasis)"it's the literal truth"
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).