Textuellement

Textuellement is a French adverb meaning literally or word-for-word, used to indicate that something is reproduced exactly as written from a source. It emphasizes the precise wording rather than the conveyed sense.

Origin and formation: The term derives from the adjective textuel, relating to text, and is formed with the common adverbial suffix -uellement. In practice, textuellement signals that a passage has been taken verbatim rather than paraphrased.

Usage: Textuellement is frequent in academic, journalistic, and legal contexts when quoting or reproducing a passage. For example: Le témoin a déclaré textuellement: «Je n'ai rien vu.» The report reproduced the paragraph textuellement.

Nuance and equivalents: It differs from littéralement, which more often conveys a strict literal interpretation of meaning rather than exact wording. In English, textuellement is usually translated as "word-for-word" or "verbatim," depending on the context. Related French expressions include citer textuellement or reproduire textuellement.

See also: mot pour mot; citation verbatim.