Illiteracy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɪˈlɪtəɹəsi/

Definitions

1. The absence of reading and writing competence can negatively impact one's educational journey
2. The condition characterized by the inability to read and write can substantially restrict an individual's access to knowledge and opportunities
3. The state of lacking the skills to read or write text

Etymology: Illiteracy is a plain formation: the prefix "il-", a form of Latin "in-" meaning "not" that takes the "l" before a word beginning with "l", attached to "literacy". The prefix itself is an ancient negating element, inherited from a Proto-Indo-European root for "not" that passed through Proto-Italic and Latin before reaching English. It is a privative prefix, the same device that turns "legal" into "illegal" and "literate" into "illiterate". "Literacy" is the more interesting half. It comes from "literate", which derives from Latin "litteratus", meaning "marked with letters" or "learned", built on "littera", a letter of the alphabet. Originally, then, being literate meant being acquainted with letters and writing, rather than simply being able to read a text. The noun "literacy" followed the adjective into English, and "illiteracy" was formed by negating it, so the word names the absence of a skill that the Latin root tied to written marks themselves.

Synonyms: ignorance, unreadiness, uneducation

Antonyms: literacy, education