Learn Greek › B1 › κυριολεκτικά
κυριολεκτικά
literally /ci.ri.o.lek.tiˈka/
adverbB1#1620 most common
Also: in the literal sense, strictly speaking, word for word
Example sentences
Το εννοώ κυριολεκτικά.
I mean it literally.
Πέθανα κυριολεκτικά από τα γέλια.
I literally died laughing.
Ήταν κυριολεκτικά αδύνατο να βρούμε ταξί εκείνη τη νύχτα.
It was literally impossible to find a taxi that night.
Η λέξη αυτή χρησιμοποιείται εδώ κυριολεκτικά και όχι μεταφορικά.
This word is used here literally, not figuratively.
Ο συγγραφέας περιγράφει κυριολεκτικά όσα έζησε, χωρίς καμία υπερβολή.
The author describes literally what he lived through, without any exaggeration.
Κυριολεκτικά μιλώντας, ο όρος αυτός παραπέμπει σε κάτι εντελώς διαφορετικό από αυτό που συνήθως εννοούμε.
Speaking literally, this term refers to something entirely different from what we usually mean.
Word family
κυριολεκτικόςliteral
κυριολεξίαliteralness, the literal sense
κυριολεκτώto speak literally, to use the proper term
μεταφορικάfiguratively (antonym)
κύριοςmain, proper; lord, misterEtymology
Κυριολεκτικά is the adverb form of κυριολεκτικός, which comes from κυριολεξία. That noun joins κύριος, meaning proper or main, with λέξις, meaning word or speech, itself from the verb λέγω, to speak or say. The combined sense is speaking with the proper word, that is, literally rather than figuratively.
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