definition of
literal

[1] #1 literal s. [actual, genuine, real] being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something; "her actual motive"; "a literal solitude like a desert"- G.K.Chesterton; "a genuine dilemma". wn

[2] #2 literal s. without interpretation or embellishment; "a literal depiction of the scene before him". wn

[3] #3 literal n. [misprint, erratum, typographical error, typo, literal error] a mistake in printed matter resulting from mechanical failures of some kind. wn

[4] #4 literal a. limited to the explicit meaning of a word or text; "a literal translation". wn