litera

See also: literā and literă

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin littera.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɪtɛra]
• Hyphenation: li‧te‧ra

Noun

litera f

1. (higher register) letter (letter of the alphabet)

   Synonym: písmeno

Declension

Declension of litera (hard feminine)

	singular	plural
nominative	litera	litery
genitive	litery	liter
dative	liteře	literám
accusative	literu	litery
vocative	litero	litery
locative	liteře	literách
instrumental	literou	literami

Derived terms

• Litera
• literatura
• literát
• liteřina

 

Further reading

• “litera”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “litera”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈliː.te.ra/, [ˈlʲiːt̪ɛrä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈli.te.ra/, [ˈliːt̪erä]

Noun

lītera f (genitive līterae); first declension

1. Alternative form of littera
   • 1833, Joannis Schulek, Grammatica latina, Szakolczae, page 5:

     Latini habent literas viginti quinque: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, ſ, (s), t, u, v, x, y, z.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	lītera	līterae
genitive	līterae	līterārum
dative	līterae	līterīs
accusative	līteram	līterās
ablative	līterā	līterīs
vocative	lītera	līterae

References

• “litera”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “litera”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• litera in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• litera in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Latvian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin littera.

Noun

litera f (4th declension)

1. synonym of burtstabiņš

Declension

Declension of litera (4th declension)

	singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)
nominative (nominatīvs)	litera	literas
accusative (akuzatīvs)	literu	literas
genitive (ģenitīvs)	literas	literu
dative (datīvs)	literai	literām
instrumental (instrumentālis)	literu	literām
locative (lokatīvs)	literā	literās
vocative (vokatīvs)	litera	literas

Malagasy

Etymology

From English letter.

Noun

litera

1. letter (of the alphabet)

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin littera.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /liˈtɛ.ra/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛra
• Syllabification: li‧te‧ra

Noun

litera f (diminutive literka)

1. letter (letter of the alphabet)

Declension

Declension of litera

	singular	plural
nominative	litera	litery
genitive	litery	liter
dative	literze	literom
accusative	literę	litery
instrumental	literą	literami
locative	literze	literach
vocative	litero	litery

Derived terms

nouns

• liternictwo
• liternik
• literowiec
• literówka

 

verbs

• literować impf

 

verbs

• składać litery impf

 

Related terms

adjectives

• aliteracki
• literacki
• literalny
• literniczy

 

adverbs

• literacko
• literalnie

 

nouns

• antyliteratura
• literacina
• literat
• literatka
• literatura

 

Further reading

• litera in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• litera in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology 1

From literă +‎ -a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /liteˈra/

Verb

a litera (third-person singular present literează, past participle literat) 1st conjugation

1. to letter

Conjugation

    conjugation of litera (first conjugation, -ez- infix)

infinitive			a litera
gerund			literând
past participle			literat
number		singular			plural
person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	literez	literezi	literează	literăm	literați	literează
	imperfect	literam	literai	litera	literam	literați	literau
	simple perfect	literai	literași	literă	literarăm	literarăți	literară
	pluperfect	literasem	literaseși	literase	literaserăm	literaserăți	literaseră
subjunctive		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	să literez	să literezi	să litereze	să literăm	să literați	să litereze
imperative		—	tu	—	—	voi	—
	affirmative		literează			literați
	negative		nu litera			nu literați

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlitera/

Noun

litera

1. definite nominative/accusative singular of literă

Spanish

una litera en un dormitorio

unas literas en un tren

Etymology

Borrowed from Catalan llitera, from Late Latin lectuāria, from Latin lectus (“bed”). First attested in 1600. A native Castilian outcome, for comparison, may have been *lechera.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /liˈteɾa/ [liˈt̪e.ɾa]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɾa
• Syllabification: li‧te‧ra

Noun

litera f (plural literas)

1. bunk
2. bunk bed
3. berth, couchette (on either a ship or a train)

   Synonym: camarote

Further reading

• “litera”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10