wörtlich
Translation
literal, literally, verbatim
Examples
Das ist die wörtliche Übersetzung.
That is the literal translation.
Er nahm meine Worte wörtlich.
He took my words literally.
Grammar Patterns
((Adjective)) + Noun (as an adjective) literal eine wörtliche Übersetzung
((Adverb)) (as an adverb) literally to take sth. wörtlich
Similar Words
Synonyms: buchstäblich, wortgetreu; Antonyms: bildlich (figurative), metaphorisch (metaphorical)
Etymology
Comes from 'Wort' (word) plus the suffix '-lich', which forms adjectives. It essentially means 'word-ly'.
Memory Tips
Think of 'Wort' as 'word'. The '-lich' ending makes it an adjective/adverb, so 'wörtlich' is 'word-ly' or 'literally'.