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pre·lit·er·ary | \ ˌprē-ˈli-tə-ˌrer-ē 
\
\variants:
or pre-literary
Definition of preliterary
: preceding the development of a written literature preliterary Latin preliterary oral traditions linguistic developments during the preliterary period
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Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
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Time Traveler for preliterary
The first known use of preliterary was in 1876
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