![]() The adverb literally was formed in English by adding the adverbial suffix -ly to literal, an adjective borrowed from Late Latin litterālis “of or relating to letters or literature.” (When we say “the letter of the law,” we are referring to its literal, or most obvious, meaning that follows the actual wording of the law.) But it is of no use to complain that literally properly means “actually without exaggeration,” the exact opposite of figuratively.
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