literature
n. uncountablen. written works like novels, plays, and poems that people value for their ideas or beauty. It can also mean all the books and articles written about a specific subject.
n. written works, such as fiction, poetry, or drama, considered to have lasting artistic or intellectual value. Also refers to the body of published work regarding a specific academic or professional field.
She studies English literature at the local university.
The professor asked the students to review the existing literature on climate change before starting their research.
While some critics focus on the historical context of the text, others argue that great literature should be evaluated solely on its internal aesthetic merits.
From Middle English literature, from Old French littérature, from Latin literatura or litteratura, from littera (“letter”), from Etruscan, from Ancient Greek διφθέρᾱ (diphthérā, “tablet”). Displaced native Old English bōccræft.
Uncountable when referring to the general category of writing or a body of research; rarely used in the plural except in specific academic contexts.