Catholic Dictionary
Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
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LITERAL SENSE
The meaning of Sacred Scripture as communicated by the words of the inspired text. It is opposed to the typical or spiritual sense, even when the literal meaning may be figurative or metaphorical. (Etym. Latin literalis, word for word, according to the letter.)