Definition of the word illiterate

The word "illiterate" derives from Latin, where it was "illiteratus" which was formed by combining "in" (meaning "not") and "littera" (meaning "letter" or "character"). In the context of learning, Latin used "literatura" to describe the literary works of antiquity that were being studied at the time. Over time, the sense of "literate" transferred from being familiar with these literary works to being able to read and write coherently. The opposite of a "literatus" (someone who could read and write) was an "illiteratus," which eventually became our modern word "illiterate." The Latin roots of "illiterate" are still apparent in modern English, where the prefix "il" (meaning "not") denotes a lack or absence of the following root, and the suffix "-ate" (meaning "having the quality of") denotes a particular quality, in this case, a lack of literacy.