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External vs Literal - What's the difference?

external | literal |

As adjectives the difference between external and literal

is that external is outside of something; on the exterior while literal is exactly as stated; read or understood without additional interpretation; according to the letter or verbal expression; real; not figurative or metaphorical.

As a noun literal is

(programming) a value, as opposed to an identifier, written into the source code of a computer program.

external

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Outside of something; on the exterior.
  • This building has some external pipework.
  • * Milton
  • Of all external things, / She [Fancy] forms imaginations, aery shapes.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Her virtues graced with external gifts.
  • Not intrinsic nor essential; accidental; accompanying; superficial.
  • * Trench
  • The external circumstances are greatly different.
  • Foreign; relating to or connected with foreign nations.
  • external''' trade or commerce; the '''external relations of a state or kingdom
  • (anatomy) Away from the mesial plane of the body; lateral.
  • Antonyms

    * internal

    literal

    Alternative forms

    * litteral (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Exactly as stated; read or understood without additional interpretation; according to the letter or verbal expression; real; not figurative or metaphorical.
  • The literal translation is “hands full of bananas” but it means empty-handed.
  • * Hooker
  • a middle course between the rigour of literal translation and the liberty of paraphrasts
  • Following the letter or exact words; not free; not taking liberties.
  • A literal reading of the law would prohibit it, but that is clearly not the intent.
  • (uncommon) Consisting of, or expressed by, letters.
  • a literal equation
  • * Johnson
  • The literal notation of numbers was known to Europeans before the ciphers.
  • (of a person) Giving a strict or literal construction; unimaginative; matter-of-fact.
  • Antonyms

    * (exactly as stated) figurative

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (programming) A value, as opposed to an identifier, written into the source code of a computer program.
  • (logic) A propositional variable or the negation of a propositional variable.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resolution_%28logic%29]
  • See also

    * constant * prime formula

    Anagrams

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