Library / English Dictionary

LITERATURE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The profession or art of a writer

Example:

her place in literature is secure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("literature" is a kind of...):

profession (an occupation requiring special education (especially in the liberal arts or sciences))

Domain category:

literature (creative writing of recognized artistic value)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The humanistic study of a body of literature

Example:

he took a course in Russian lit

Synonyms:

lit; literature

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("literature" is a kind of...):

literary study (the humanistic study of literature)

Domain category:

literature (creative writing of recognized artistic value)

Derivation:

literary (knowledgeable about literature)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Creative writing of recognized artistic value

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("literature" is a kind of...):

piece of writing; writing; written material (the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect))

Domain member category:

apace ((poetic, literary) quickly)

copyrighted ((of literary or musical or dramatic or artistic work) protected by copyright)

filmable ((used of a story or literary work) capable of being adapted to motion picture form)

gothic (characterized by gloom and mystery and the grotesque)

carved; carven (made for or formed by carving ('carven' is archaic or literary))

longueur (a period of dullness or boredom (especially in a work of literature or performing art))

tension (a balance between and interplay of opposing elements or tendencies (especially in art or literature))

tempest ((literary) a violent wind)

rosebud ((a literary reference to) a pretty young girl)

republication (something that has been published again; a fresh publication (as of a literary work))

literature (the profession or art of a writer)

editing; redaction (putting something (as a literary work or a legislative bill) into acceptable form)

flash-forward (a transition (in literary or theatrical works or films) to a later event or scene that interrupts the normal chronological development of the story)

flashback (a transition (in literary or theatrical works or films) to an earlier event or scene that interrupts the normal chronological development of the story)

literature (published writings in a particular style on a particular subject)

steed ((literary) a spirited horse for state of war)

lit; literature (the humanistic study of a body of literature)

deconstruction; deconstructionism (a philosophical theory of criticism (usually of literature or film) that seeks to expose deep-seated contradictions in a work by delving below its surface meaning)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "literature"):

Sanskrit literature (Hindu literature written in Sanskrit)

Derivation:

literary (of or relating to or characteristic of literature)

Domain member category:

wont to (in the habit of doing something)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Published writings in a particular style on a particular subject

Example:

one aspect of Waterloo has not yet been treated in the literature

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("literature" is a kind of...):

piece of writing; writing; written material (the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect))

Domain category:

literature (creative writing of recognized artistic value)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "literature"):

historiography (a body of historical literature)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Approximately 75% of cases reported in a literature review involved patients who were less than 18 years of age.

(B Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, NCI Thesaurus/WHO)

It has not yet found its way either into the pharmacopoeia or into the literature of toxicology.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

In this age of literature, such collections on a very grand scale are not uncommon.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

This gene has been first described as FZD3 in literature.

(Frizzled 9, NCI Thesaurus)

"This is apparently the first complete proof in the literature and quite the accomplishment to cross domains from engineering to mathematics with such depth."

(Saddle-shaped origami enables new microelectronic applications, National Science Foundation)

I have made a small study of tattoo marks and have even contributed to the literature of the subject.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Up until now, a significant deal of the research literature has suggested that self-defeating humour is exclusively associated with negative psychological effects among individuals who regularly employ this style of humour.

(Self-defeating humour promotes psychological well-being, University of Granada)

A new study had review worldwide scientific literature on the role of dairy products in health and in the prevention of chronic diseases (cardiovascular, metabolic syndrome, colon or bladder cancer, and type 2 diabetes).

(Adequate intake of milk and dairy products in different life stages helps prevent chronic diseases, University of Granada)

These can consist of the information stored in the genetic code, but also experimental results from various sources, patient statistics, and scientific literature.

(Bioinformatics, NCI Thesaurus)

CANCERLIT is an NCI bibliographic database of more than 1.4 million records of cancer literature published in the past 30 years.

(CancerLit, NCI Thesaurus)