: having a character, force, or significance transferred or derived from something extraneous : metaphorical, figurative. the primary and tralatitious meanings of a word. 2. : passed along as from hand to hand, mouth to mouth, or from generation to generation : handed down : traditional.
The two literatures have similar origins: They both began as the tralatitious lore of the peasantry, of the poor and uneducated village and town, as opposed to the city