wortlich

Wortlich is a term associated with the German language, most commonly encountered in the standard form wörtlich, which means literal or verbatim. The non-umlaut variant Wortlich is not the conventional spelling in everyday use and appears primarily as a stylized form in branding, titles, or proper nouns where umlauts are avoided.

Etymology and meaning: The adjective wörtlich derives from Wort (word) plus the suffix -lich, signaling a property or quality. It is used to indicate that wording should be taken exactly as spoken or written, without interpretation or embellishment. In parallel, the synonym buchstäblich is used in similar contexts, though with slight nuance in certain phrases.

Usage: In linguistics, translation, journalism, and quotations, wörtlich signals a word-for-word rendition or a quotation kept in its original wording. Examples include: Sie zitierte ihn wörtlich. (She quoted him verbatim.) Die wörtliche Übersetzung eines Satzes ist oft schwer nachvollziehbar. (The literal translation of a sentence is often hard to follow.) Phrases like wörtlich genommen mean "taken literally." The non-umlaut form Wortlich is rarely used except as a proper name or brand.

See also: wörtlich, buchstäblich, word-for-word. For readers seeking the concept in English, see literal translation or verbatim quotation.