Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
semiliterate en · ADJ
Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *sem-
Proto-Indo-European *sēmi
Latin sēmi-bor.
English semi-
English literate
English semiliterate
From semi- + literate.
Meanings
-
(not-comparable) Not entirely literate; having a limited grasp of the written language.
With the necessary prowess of the semiliterate, Heed had a flawless memory, and like most nonreaders, she was highly numerate.
2003, Toni Morrison, Love, Vintage (2016), page 75:
Coordinates
literate · illiterate
Synonyms
subliterate
Translations (4)
pt semiletrado (not entirely literate) · uk напівписьме́нний (not entirely literate) · pl na wpół piśmienny (not entirely literate) · ru полугра́мотный (not entirely literate)
semiliterate en · NOUN
Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *sem-
Proto-Indo-European *sēmi
Latin sēmi-bor.
English semi-
English literate
English semiliterate
From semi- + literate.
Meanings
-
A person who is semiliterate.
If Rita Mae Brown were an exceptional writer, I might be more willing to give an ear to her pontificating […] But even as a pulp writer, Brown will have to treat lesbians as more than a bunch of anencephalic semi-literates who will sanctify her name forevermore. We have to have the guts to say, "Keep editing, Rita Mae; paper is cheap and we expect better!"
1988 December 11, Susana Darwin, “Keep Editing, Rita Mae”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 22, page 10:
Forms
Coordinates
literate · illiterate
Relateds
semiliteracy
Synonyms
subliterate