All 4 Uses

literate
in
The Water is Wide
(Edited)

I asked the eighth graders and the other kids who appeared the least bit literate to retell the story in their own words on paper.
p. 27.9 *

literate = able to read and write
It was many months later before I learned how Piedmont had probably handled vexing problems with the semiliterate though obstinate workers who greased looms on the midnight shift and rocked the vessel of obedience in defiance of the invisible capitalists who ruled the mills from far away.
p. 188.9

semiliterate = partially able to read and write

standard prefix: The prefix "semi-" in semiliterate means half or partially. This is the same pattern you see in words like semicircle, semisweet, and semiautomatic.
Their parents are not influential, literate, or vocal, so this educational system is perpetuated.
p. 265.8

literate = able to read and write
The letter was barely literate, but its message was clearly elaborated and needed no translation.
p. 276.9

literate = as though written by someone able to read and write

Definitions:

(1) (literate)
able to read and write
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
More rarely, literate can refer to knowledge in a particular subject area as in: "She is computer literate."

Occasionally literate is also used to indicate a knowledge of literature or writing as in: "I don't remember the name of Odysseus' wife. Ask Susan. She's one of the more literate people I know." or "If you want a highly literate record of the minutes, ask Susan to record them."