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Letter
Definitions
- 1 A symbol in an alphabet.
"There are twenty-six letters in the English alphabet."
- 2 One who lets, or lets out.
"the letter of a room"
- 3 Alternative form of litter. alt-of, alternative, obsolete
- 4 a written message addressed to a person or organization wordnet
- 5 A written or printed communication, generally longer and more formal than a note.
"I wrote a letter to my sister about my life."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 One who retards or hinders. archaic
- 7 an award earned by participation in a school sport wordnet
- 8 The literal meaning of something, as distinguished from its intended and remoter meaning (the spirit).
"In obedience to humane laws, we muſt obſerve the letter of the Law, where we can without doing violence to the reaſon of the Law and the intention of the Law-giver: but where they croſſe each other, the charity of the Law is to be preferred before its diſcipline, and the reaſon of it before the letter."
- 9 the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech wordnet
- 10 Literature. in-plural
"Benjamin Franklin was multiskilled – a scientist, politician and a man of letters."
- 11 a strictly literal interpretation (as distinct from the intention) wordnet
- 12 A division unit of a piece of law marked by a letter of the alphabet.
"Letter (b) constitutes an exception to this provision."
- 13 owner who lets another person use something (housing usually) for hire wordnet
- 14 A size of paper, 8½ in × 11 in (215.9 mm × 279.4 mm). US, uncountable
- 15 A size of paper, 215 mm × 280 mm. Canada, uncountable
- 16 Clipping of varsity letter. US, abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
- 17 A single type; type, collectively; a style of type. dated
"Under these, thro’ a garden in which is an ample fountaine, was the King's printing-house, and that famous letter so much esteem’d."
- 1 To print, inscribe, or paint letters on something. transitive
- 2 mark letters on or mark with letters wordnet
- 3 To earn a varsity letter (award). US, intransitive
"I think Mom lettered in shot put her junior year."
- 4 set down or print with letters wordnet
- 5 win an athletic letter wordnet
Etymology
From Middle English letter, lettre, from Old French letre, from Latin littera (“letter of the alphabet"; in plural, "epistle”). Displaced Old English bōcstæf (literally “book staff”) in sense 1 and ǣrendġewrit (literally “message writing”) in sense 2.
From Middle English letter, lettre, from Old French letre, from Latin littera (“letter of the alphabet"; in plural, "epistle”). Displaced Old English bōcstæf (literally “book staff”) in sense 1 and ǣrendġewrit (literally “message writing”) in sense 2.
From Middle English letere, equivalent to let + -er.
See also for "letter"
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