Lit.

Exactly as stated; read or understood without additional interpretation; according to the letter or verbal expression; real; not figurative or metaphorical.

"The literal translation is “hands full of bananas” but it means empty-handed."

Following the letter or exact words; not free; not taking liberties.

"A literal reading of the law would prohibit it, but that is clearly not the intent."

Consisting of, or expressed by, letters.

"a literal equation"

(of a person) Giving a strict or literal construction; unimaginative; matter-of-fact.

Word for word; not figuratively; not as an idiom or metaphor

"When I saw on the news that there would be no school tomorrow because of the snowstorm, I literally jumped for joy, and hit my head on the ceiling fan."

(degree, contranym) Used non-literally as an intensifier for figurative statements: virtually, so to speak (often considered incorrect; see usage notes)

"He was so surprised, he literally jumped twenty feet in the air."

Used to intensify or dramatise non-figurative statements; tending towards a meaningless filler word in repeated use.

"I had no idea, so I was literally guessing."

Used as a generic downtoner: just, merely.

"You literally put it in the microwave for five minutes and it's done."

The body of all written works.

The collected creative writing of a nation, people, group or culture.

(usually preceded by the) All the papers, treatises etc. published in academic journals on a particular subject.

Written fiction of a high standard.

"However, even “literary” science fiction rarely qualifies as literature, because it treats characters as sets of traits rather than as fully realized human beings with unique life stories. —Adam Cadre, 2008"

The metric unit of fluid measure, equal to one cubic decimetre. Symbols: l, L, ℓ

"You should be able to fill four cups with one litre of water."

A measure of volume equivalent to a litre.