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Added 9 October 2026

literate

/ˈlɪtəɹət/ adjective

Latin root: lītterātus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about literate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Able to read and write; having literacy.
Knowledgeable in literature, writing; literary; well-read.
Which is used in writing (of a language or dialect).

noun

A person who is able to read and write.
A person who was educated but had not taken a university degree; especially a candidate to take holy orders.

Origin

Inherited from Middle English litterate, borrowed from Latin lītterātus, līterātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix). Doublet of literato and literatus. Displaced native Old English stæfwīs.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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