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to a particular science or branch of knowledge, or of a given country or period; as, the literature of Biblical criticism; the literature of chemistry.

Want of learning; illiteracy. [R.] Ayliffe. Southey.

general ethical and religious topics, as distinguished from the prophetic and liturgical literature, and from the law. It is comprised chiefly in the books of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiasticus, Ecclesiastes, and Wisdom of Solomon. The "wisdom" (Hokhmah) of these writings consists in detached sage utterances on concrete is…

A member of an academy, or society for promoting science, art, or literature, as of the French Academy, or the Royal Academy of arts.

A society of learned men united for the advancement of the arts and sciences, and literature, or some particular art or science; as, the French Academy; the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; academies of literature and philology.

the times before the fall of the Roman empire; -- opposed to modern; as, ancient authors, literature, history; ancient days. Witness those ancient empires of the earth. Milton. Gildas Albanius . . . much ancienter than his namesake surnamed the Wise. Fuller.

A collection of flowers of literature, that is, beautiful passages from authors; a collection of poems or epigrams; -- particularly applied to a collection of ancient Greek epigrams.

Pertaining to antiquaries, or to antiquity; as, antiquarian literature.

One well versed in the Arabic language or literature; also, formerly, one who followed the Arabic system of surgery.

Pertaining to Aram, or to the territory, inhabitants, language, or literature of Syria and Mesopotamia; Aramæan; -- specifically applied to the northern branch of the Semitic family of languages, including Syriac and Chaldee. -- n.

is so employed, as in painting and sculpture; one of the fine arts; as, he prefers art to literature.

. To impute usually denotes to ascribe something doubtful or wrong, and hence, in general literature, has commonly a bad sense; as, to impute unworthy motives. The theological sense of impute is not here taken into view. More than good-will to me attribute naught. Spenser. Ascribes his gettings to his parts and merit.…

Of or pertaining to the town of Augsburg. Augustan age of any national literature, the period of its highest state of purity and refinement; -- so called because the reign of Augustus Cæsar was the golden age of Roman literature. Thus the reign of Louis XIV. (b. 1638) has been called the Augustan age of French literatu…

An uncivilized state or condition; rudeness of manners; ignorance of arts, learning, and literature; barbarousness. Prescott.

Polite or elegant literature; the humanities; -- used somewhat vaguely for literary works in which imagination and taste are predominant.

Learning or literature relating to the Bible. [R.]

The literature or doctrine of the Bible.

hought to have come from Bohemia; in later times often applied to an adventurer in art or literature, of irregular, unconventional habits, questionable tastes, or free morals. [Modern]

Somewhat overstepping usual bounds, or conventional rules, as in art, literature, etc.; taking liberties in o composition or expression; as, the figures of an author are bold. "Bold tales." Waller. The cathedral church is a very bold work. Addison.

que; a parody. [Formerly written caricatura.] The truest likeness of the prince of French literature will be the one that has most of the look of a caricature. I. Taylor. A grotesque caricature of virtue. Macaulay.