Lit’er-a-tūre, n.

(53), n. [Lat. literatura, from litera, a letter; Fr. littérature, Sp. literatura, It. letteratura.]

1Sense 1. Learning; acquaintance with letters or books.

2Sense 2. The collective body of literary productions, embracing the entire results of knowledge and fancy preserved in writing; also, the whole body of literary productions or writings upon a given subject, or in reference to a particular science or branch of knowledge; as, the literature of biblical criticism; the literature of chemistry; and the like.

3Sense 3. The class of writings distinguished for beauty of style or expression, as poetry, essays, or history, in distinction from scientific treatises, and works which contain positive knowledge; belles-lettres.

Synonyms—Science; learning; erudition; belles-lettres. See SCIENCE.—LITERATURE, LEARNING, ERUDITION. Literature, in its widest sense, embraces all compositions except those on the positive sciences, mathematics, &c. It is usually confined, however, to the belles-lettres, or works of taste and sentiment, as poetry, eloquence, history, &c., excluding abstract discussions and mere erudition. A man of literature is one who is versed in the belles-lettres; a man of learning excels in what is taught in the schools, and has a wide extent of knowledge, especially in respect to the past; a man of erudition is one who is skilled in the more recondite branches of learned inquiry. “Men give a reputation to literature, and convince the world of its usefulness.” Addison. “Learning thy talent is, but mine is sense.” Prior. “Some gentlemen, abounding in their university erudition, fill their sermons with philosophical terms.” Swift.