literate

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Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈlɪtəɹət/

Adjective

literate

1. Able to read and write; having literacy.

   Antonyms: illiterate

2. Knowledgeable in literature, writing; literary; well-read.
3. Which is used in writing (of a language or dialect).
   • 2005, Nicholas Ostler, Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World, Harper:

     The Mongol emperor Kublai Khan even commissioned an alphabetic script for his empire, to be used officially for all its literate languages, Mongolian, Chinese, Turkic and Persian.

Related terms

• illiterate
• letter
• literal
• literacy
• literary
• literature

Translations

• French: alphabète, lettré
• German: schriftkundig, schreibkundig, lese- und schreibkundig, des Lesens und Schreibens mächtig, alphabetisiert; (of cultures also) literal
• Portuguese: letrado, alfabetizado
• Russian: гра́мотный
• Spanish: alfabetizado, (dated) letrado, (colloquial) alfabeto

Translations

• French: lettré
• German: belesen, gebildet
• Portuguese: letrado
• Russian: образо́ванный
• Spanish: letrado

Noun

literate (plural literates)

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

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