n. 1. The body of written works of a language, period, or culture. 2. Imaginative or creative writing, especially of recognized artistic value: "Literature must be an analysis of experience and a synthesis of the findings into a unity" (Rebecca West). 3. The art or occupation of a literary writer. 4. The body of written work produced by scholars or researchers in a given field: medical literature. 5. Printed material: collected all the available literature on the subject. 6. Music All the compositions of a certain kind or for a specific instrument or ensemble: the symphonic literature. [Middle English, book learning, from Old French litterature, from Latin litterātūra, from litterātus, lettered; see LITERATE.] |
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