LETTER

letter, missive

(noun) a written message addressed to a person or organization; “mailed an indignant letter to the editor”

letter, varsity letter

(noun) an award earned by participation in a school sport; “he won letters in three sports”

letter, letter of the alphabet, alphabetic character

(noun) the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech; “his grandmother taught him his letters”

letter

(noun) a strictly literal interpretation (as distinct from the intention); “he followed instructions to the letter”; “he obeyed the letter of the law”

letter

(noun) owner who lets another person use something (housing usually) for hire

letter

(verb) mark letters on or mark with letters

letter

(verb) set down or print with letters

letter

(verb) win an athletic letter

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology 1

Noun

letter (plural letters)

A symbol in an alphabet.

A written or printed communication, generally longer and more formal than a note.

The literal meaning of something, as distinguished from its intended and remoter meaning (often contrasted with the spirit).

(plural) Literature.

(law) A division unit of a piece of law marked by a letter of the alphabet.

(US, uncountable) A size of paper, 8½ in × 11 in (215.9 mm × 279.4 mm, US paper sizes rounded to the nearest 5 mm).

(Canada, uncountable) A size of paper, 215 mm × 280 mm.

(US, scholastic) Clipping of varsity letter.

(printing, dated) A single type; type, collectively; a style of type.

Synonyms

• (written character/alphabetic symbol): bookstaff/bookstave

Hyponyms

• epistle

• missive

Verb

letter (third-person singular simple present letters, present participle lettering, simple past and past participle lettered)

(transitive) To print, inscribe, or paint letters on something.

(intransitive, US, scholastic) To earn a varsity letter (award).

Etymology 2

Noun

letter (plural letters)

One who lets, or lets out.

(archaic) One who retards or hinders.

Anagrams

• lettre, tetrel

Source: Wiktionary

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Let"ter, n. Etym: [From Let to permit.]

Definition: One who lets or permits; one who lets anything for hire.

Let"ter, n. Etym: [From Let to hinder.]

Definition: One who retards or hinders. [Archaic.]

Let"ter, n. Etym: [OE. lettre, F. lettre, OF. letre, fr. L.littera, litera, a letter; pl., an epistle, a writing, literature, fr. linere, litum, to besmear, to spread or rub over; because one of the earliest modes of writing was by graving the characters upon tablets smeared over or covered with wax. Pliny, xiii. 11. See Leniment, and cf. Literal.]

1. A mark or character used as the representative of a sound, or of an articulation of the human organs of speech; a first element of written language. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew. Luke xxiii. 38.

2. A written or printed communication; a message expressed in intelligible characters on something adapted to conveyance, as paper, parchment, etc.; an epistle. The style of letters ought to be free, easy, and natural. Walsh.

3. A writing; an inscription. [Obs.] None could expound what this letter meant. Chaucer.

4. Verbal expression; literal statement or meaning; exact signification or requirement. We must observe the letter of the law, without doing violence to the reason of the law and the intention of the lawgiver. Jer. Taylor. I broke the letter of it to keep the sense. Tennyson.

5. (Print.)

Definition: A single type; type, collectively; a style of type. Under these buildings . . . was the king's printing house, and that famous letter so much esteemed. Evelyn.

6. pl.

Definition: Learning; erudition; as, a man of letters.

7. pl.

Definition: A letter; an epistle. [Obs.] Chaucer. Dead letter, Drop letter, etc. See under Dead, Drop, etc.

– Letter book, a book in which copies of letters are kept.

– Letter box, a box for the reception of letters to be mailed or delivered.

– Letter carrier, a person who carries letters; a postman; specif., an officer of the post office who carries letters to the persons to whom they are addressed, and collects letters to be mailed.

– Letter cutter, one who engraves letters or letter punches.

– Letter lock, a lock that can not be opened when fastened, unless certain movable lettered rings or disks forming a part of in are in such a position (indicated by a particular combination of the letters) as to permit the bolt to be withdrawn. A strange lock that opens with AMEN. Beau. & Fl.

– Letter paper, paper for writing letters on; especially, a size of paper intermediate between note paper and foolscap. See Paper.

– Letter punch, a steel punch with a letter engraved on the end, used in making the matrices for type.

– Letters of administration (Law), the instrument by which an administrator or administratrix is authorized to administer the goods and estate of a deceased person.

– Letter of attorney, Letter of credit, etc. See under Attorney, Credit, etc.

– Letter of license, a paper by which creditors extend a debtor's time for paying his debts.

– Letters close or clause (Eng. Law.), letters or writs directed to particular persons for particular purposes, and hence closed or sealed on the outside; -- distinguished from letters patent. Burrill.

– Letters of orders (Eccl.), a document duly signed and sealed, by which a bishop makes it known that he has regularly ordained a certain person as priest, deacon, etc.

– Letters patent, overt, or open (Eng. Law), a writing executed and sealed, by which power and authority are granted to a person to do some act, or enjoy some right; as, letters patent under the seal of England.

– Letter-sheet envelope, a stamped sheet of letter paper issued by the government, prepared to be folded and sealed for transmission by mail without an envelope.

– Letters testamentary (Law), an instrument granted by the proper officer to an executor after probate of a will, authorizing him to act as executor.

– Letter writer. (a) One who writes letters. (b) A machine for copying letters. (c) A book giving directions and forms for the writing of letters.

Let"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lettered; p. pr. & vb. n. Lettering.]

Definition: To impress with letters; to mark with letters or words; as, a book gilt and lettered.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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