belonging to times long past especially of the historical period before the fall of the Western Roman Empire; "ancient history"; "ancient civilizations such as those of the Etruscans and Sumerians"; "ancient Greece"
the profession or art of a writer; "her place in literature is secure"
the humanistic study of a body of literature; "he took a course in Russian lit"
creative writing of recognized artistic value
published writings in a particular style on a particular subject; "the technical literature"; "one aspect of Waterloo has not yet been treated in the literature"