ad litteram

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ad litteram.

Adverb

ad litteram (not comparable)

1. To the letter.

Further reading

• “ad litteram”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• “ad litteram”, in Collins English Dictionary.

Latin

Etymology

From ad (“to”) +‎ litteram (“(the) letter”).

Adverb

ad litteram

1. word-for-word, literally
   • (Can we date this quote?), Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, book IX, section I:

     Cicero quidem omnia orationis lumina in hunc locum congerit, mediam quandam, ut arbitror, secutus viam: ut neque omnis sermo schema iudicaretur neque ea sola quae haberent aliquam remotam ab usu communi fictionem, sed quae essent clarissima et ad movendum auditorem valerent plurimum. Quem duobus ab eo libris tractatum locum ad litteram subieci, ne fraudarem legentes iudicio maximi auctoris.

     Indeed, Cicero places all manner of rhetorical flourish in this category, and in doing so follows what seems to me a middle course, such that he does not judge any expression to be a figure of speech, nor only that which differs in some fashion from common usage, but rather that which is the most brilliant and the most capable of moving the audience. This discussion of his, which is covered in two books, I have included below verbatim to avoid denying my readers the judgement of that illustrious author.

Synonyms

• verbatim
• ad verbum

Descendants

• Direct borrowings:
  • → English: ad litteram
  • → French: ad litteram
  • → Romanian: ad litteram
  • → Spanish: ad litteram
• Calques:
  • Catalan: a la lletra
  • English: to the letter
  • French: à la lettre
  • Italian: alla lettera
  • Portuguese: à letra
  • Spanish: a la letra

References

• “ad litteram”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/quintilian/quintilian.institutio9.shtml