English
literate
Literate comes from Latin lītterātus ‘learned, educated, scholarly, literate’, and goes back to littera ‘letter’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElittera‘letter’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElītterātus‘learned, educated, scholarly, literate’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500litterate
- Englishearliest quotation 1997literate
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElittera‘letter’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElītterātus‘learned, educated, scholarly, literate’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500litterate
- Englishearliest quotation 1997literate
Earliest quotation: 1997, George Carlin, Brain Droppings: “Intelligence tests are biased toward the literate.”
Linked words
through Latin littera ‘letter’
Today it means
adj Able to read and write; having literacy.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin littera / literate