6:1 Literate

When and where did I find this word?
The word, literate, is in many of my current assignments in graduate school.  I chose this as a vocabulary journal word because one of my first assignments this semester was to use my own language to define it.  This may sound easy, but after thinking about it for some time, I realized that defining this word is not easy at all.

What does this word mean?
According to http://www.dictionary.com/, the word literate as an adjective means (1) able to read and write (2) having or showing knowledge of literature, writing (3) having knowledge or skill in a specified field, and (4) having an education.

What is my familiarity with this word?
I thought I was familiar with this word...and then I began the literacy program at Nazareth.  it was then that I realized that I not only did not know the definition of this word but that its definition would be elusive for some time.
Two years later and after many, many, many hours of reading literacy theory and dissecting this theory in countless Socratic seminars, this is my current understanding of what is means to be literate:  The literate person is able to acquire language skills, both implicitly and explicitly, and be able to facilitate both oral and written language using these skills, perpetually, and effectively in order to communicate successfully within various situational contexts.

Do I want to know this word and why?
It is important that I know this word.  For reasons beyond the obvious, I feel like this word is important because it expands the possibilities of literacy.

Do I want others to know this word?
The nature of the education business requires educator to have an expanded vocabulary.  This word word, because of its deictic an foundational attributes, should not only be "learned" but also analyzed and reflected upon so that it remains deictic and foundational.