literár

Literár is a linguistic term that refers to a morphological root and adjective concentrated in reference to literature. In several languages, forms derived from the same root denote relation to literature and are used to describe works, fields, or concepts associated with letters and writing. The root is widely cognate across Indo-European languages, with parallel forms in many Romance, Slavic, and Baltic languages.

Etymology and cognates. The word derives from Latin litterarius, through historical intermediaries such as French littéraire, and has produced related forms in various languages. Examples include Czech literární, Slovak literárny, Romanian literar, Latvian literārs, Italian letterario, Spanish literario, and Portuguese literário. These forms share the same core meaning: pertaining to literature.

Usage and scope. In modern standard usage, the standalone form "literár" is uncommon in many languages. It typically appears as a stem or truncation in longer adjectives (for example, literár- forms that become literární, literárny, literar, or literārs in different languages) or as part of compound terms. It is common to encounter full adjectives such as literární, literárny, or literārs rather than a bare "literár." In English, the corresponding term is literary, and "literár" is mainly encountered in linguistic or historical discussions about word formation.

See also. Literary, Literature, Literary criticism, Linguistic morphology.

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