literal

名词 literal:

1. a mistake in printed matter resulting from mechanical failures of some kind
   同义词：misprint, erratum, typographical error, typo, literal error

形容词 literal:

1. being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something
   同义词：actual, genuine, real
2. without interpretation or embellishment
3. limited to the explicit meaning of a word or text
4. avoiding embellishment or exaggeration (used for emphasis)

1. Excessive adherence to a literal interpretation of the Bible.
   《圣经》崇拜对《圣经》文字解释的极度忠实
2. Don't be so literal-minded you know what I meant!
   别那麽死心眼嘛－－你知道我是什麽意思。
3. A literal translation is not always the closest to the original meaning.
   逐字翻译不一定最接近原义。

lit.er.al

adj.Abbr. lit.（形容词）缩写 lit.
Being in accordance with, conforming to, or upholding the exact or primary meaning of a word or words.
照字面的：与一词或数个词的确切或主要意义一致的；依照或维持这一意义的
Word for word; verbatim:
逐字的：逐字的；照字面的：
例句：
a literal translation.
直译

Avoiding exaggeration, metaphor, or embellishment; factual; prosaic:
平实的：避免夸张，隐喻或修饰的；真实的；平淡无奇的：
例句：
a literal description; a literal mind.
平实的描述；死脑筋

Consisting of, using, or expressed by letters:
字母的：由字母组成的，使用字母的，或用字母表达的：
例句：
literal notation.
字母符号法

n.Computer Science （名词）【计算机科学】
A letter or symbol that represents a particular constant or number, known or unknown, and is not programmer-defined.
文字：代表一特定常量或数字的可知或未知的字母或符号，由非编程者所规定

来源：
Middle English
中古英语
from Old French
源自 古法语
from Late Latin litter3lis [of letters]
源自 后期拉丁语 litter3lis [字母的]
from Latin littera [letter]
源自 拉丁语 littera [字母]

【引伸】
lit.eralness
n.（名词）