a. [ad. L. litterāri-us, f. littera letter. Cf. F. littéraire.] (Not in Johnson, 1755–75.)
† 1. Pertaining to the letters of the alphabet. Obs.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., I. ix. 37. Our first and literary apprehensions being commonly instructed in Authors which handle nothing else [but idle fictions].
1769. Middlesex Jrnl., 8–11 July, 4/2. A complete set of Literary Cards, for teaching children to read, spell, count.
1793. Smeaton, Edystone L., § 334, note. The literary references to Plates Nos. 19, and 20.
† 2. Carried on by letters; epistolary. Obs.
1757–8. Smollett, Hist. Eng. (1800), II. 252. A literary correspondence was maintained between the English General and the Mareschal de Villars.
[1818. Todd, s.v., Literary is not properly used of missive letters.]
3. Of or pertaining to, or of the nature of, literature. a. Pertaining to letters or polite learning. b. Pertaining to books and written compositions; also, in a narrower sense, pertaining to, or having the characteristics of that kind of written composition which has value on account of its qualities of form. Literary history (e.g., of a legend, a historical personage or event, etc.): the history of the treatment of, and references to the subject in literature. Literary property: (a) property that consists in written or printed compositions; (b) the exclusive right of publication as recognized and limited by law.
1749. L. Evans, Middle Brit. Col. (1755), 3. The Seats of some Half a Dozen Gentlemen, noted in the literary Way.
1758. J. G. Cooper, Retreat Aristippus, Epist. i. 198. With these, and some a-kin to these … I live in literary ease.
1759. Goldsm., Pol. Learn., vi. Wks. (Globe), 430/1. A man of literary merit is sure of being caressed by the great, though seldom enriched.
1773. Johnson, in Boswell, 29 April. Mallet had talents enough to keep his literary reputation alive as long as he himself lived. Ibid. (1779), L. P., Cowley, ¶ 2. His mother … struggling earnestly to procure him a literary education.
1845. Graves, Canon Law, in Encycl. Metrop., II. 785/1. The literary history of the early Greek collections has been carefully illustrated by Biener.
a. 1859. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xxiii. (1861), V. 7. The parliamentary conflict on the great question of a standing army was preceded by a literary conflict.
1898. H. Calderwood, D. Hume, iii. 28. A large measure of literary ability was appearing in Scotland.
1900. J. G. Frazer, Pausanias, etc. 68. The writer, it is plain, has exaggerated for the sake of literary effect.
4. Acquainted with or versed in literature; spec. engaged in literature as a profession, occupied in writing books. Of a society, etc.: Consisting of literary men.
1791. Boswell, Johnson, an. 1764. That club … at Mr. Garrick’s funeral [an. 1779] became distinguished by the title of The Literary Club.
1809. Med. Jrnl., XXI. 192. A few years since, he married Miss Edgeworth, a lady of a respectable literary family in Ireland.
1840. Carlyle, Heroes (1858), 302. In the true Literary Man there is thus ever … a sacredness.
1870. J. H. Newman, Gram. Assent, I. iii. 18. The primary duty of a literary man is to have clear conceptions, and to be exact and intelligible in expressing them.
1895. Bookman, Oct., 14/1. Artistic and literary Glasgow owed much to his [Dr. Charles Blatherwick’s] genial energy and his stimulative hopefulness and vivacity.
Hence Literaryism, addiction to literary forms; an instance of this, a form of expression belonging to literary language.
1879. Elworthy, Pref. to Exmoor Scolding (E.D.S.), 13. The same culture which prompts them to compose at all, binds them in chains of literaryism. Ibid., 14. A great many literaryisms are pointed out in the notes.
1891. Stevenson, Vailima Lett., i. (1895), 94. I found a lot of slacknesses and (what is worse in this kind of thing) some literaryisms.
