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"literary" in seven languages

Meaningliterary

Spanish

literario

/liteˈɾaɾjo/

learned

French

littéraire

/liteʁɛʁ/

learned

Italian

letterario

/letteˈrarjo/

learned

Shaped to match lettera 'letter' and letteratura.

Portuguese

literário

/liteˈɾaɾju/

learned

Romanian

literar

/liteˈrar/

learned

Catalan

literari

/litəˈɾaɾi/

learned

English

literary

/ˈlɪtəɹɛɹi/

from Latin/French · Latin LITTERĀRIUS

English → ItalianliteraryletterarioCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

LITTERĀRIUM‘of letters (LITTERA 'letter')’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Learned, so the -ĀRIUS ending stays -ario/-aire (the popular outcome would be -ero/-ier). Italian matches its inherited lettera, with e for Latin short i.

English relatives: letter, literature, literal, literate

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esGanó un premio literario.
  • frElle a reçu un prix littéraire.
  • itHa vinto un premio letterario.
  • ptEla ganhou um prêmio literário.
  • roA câștigat un premiu literar.
  • caVa guanyar un premi literari.
  • enShe won a literary prize.

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