名詞 literal:

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

形容詞 literal:

1. being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something
   同義詞：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.
   《圣經(jīng)》崇拜對《圣經(jīng)》文字解釋的極度忠實
2. Don't be so literal-minded you know what I meant!
   別那麼死心眼嘛－－你知道我是什麼意思。
3. A literal translation is not always the closest to the original meaning.
   逐字翻譯不一定最接近原義。

lit.er.al

adj.Abbr. lit.（形容詞）縮寫 lit.
Being in accordance with, conforming to, or upholding the exact or primary meaning of a word or words.
照字面的：與一詞或數(shù)個詞的確切或主要意義一致的；依照或維持這一意義的
Word for word; verbatim:
逐字的：逐字的；照字面的：
例句：
a literal translation.
直譯

Avoiding exaggeration, metaphor, or embellishment; factual; prosaic:
平實的：避免夸張，隱喻或修飾的；真實的；平淡無奇的：
例句：
a literal description; a literal mind.
平實的描述；死腦筋

Consisting of, using, or expressed by letters:
字母的：由字母組成的，使用字母的，或用字母表達的：
例句：
literal notation.
字母符號法

n.Computer Science （名詞）【計算機科學】
A letter or symbol that represents a particular constant or number, known or unknown, and is not programmer-defined.
文字：代表一特定常量或數(shù)字的可知或未知的字母或符號，由非編程者所規(guī)定

來源：
Middle English
中古英語
from Old French
源自 古法語
from Late Latin litter3lis [of letters]
源自 后期拉丁語 litter3lis [字母的]
from Latin littera [letter]
源自 拉丁語 littera [字母]

【引伸】
lit.eralness
n.（名詞）