Literer

Literer is a term that appears in occasional discussions of literature and linguistics but does not have a single, widely accepted definition. In English-language usage, it is not listed in major dictionaries, and its sense varies by author. The word seems to be formed from the Latin littera, meaning “letter,” with the agentive suffix -er, following a familiar pattern for occupations such as writer or editor.

Because literer is not standardized, several senses have been proposed, depending on context. It may refer to a person who engages with literature in a broad sense, akin to a writer or critic; a person who studies, curates, or analyzes textual resources in libraries or digital corpora; or, in speculative fiction, a character who manipulates texts or uses literature as a form of power. Some writers treat literer as a provisional term for a role that overlaps with but is not identical to existing terms like author, editor, or scholar.

Usage notes are important for this neologism. Since literer is uncommon and not defined by authority sources, authors should define the term when first used and provide examples to avoid ambiguity. In formal writing, it is typically preferable to use established terms unless literer is clearly defined for the reader.

See also: author, writer, editor, librarian, literacy, literate.