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letter

noun
/ˈlɛtə/UK/ˈlɛtɚ/US/ˈletə/

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.

  1. derived from littera
  2. derived from letre
  3. inherited from letter

Definitions

  1. A symbol in an alphabet.

    • There are twenty-six letters in the English alphabet.
    • And a superscription also was written ouer him in letters of Greeke, and Latin, & Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE IEWES.

  2. A written or printed communication, usually defined as longer and more formal than a…

    A written or printed communication, usually defined as longer and more formal than a note. (Sometimes specifically one that is on paper.)

    • I wrote a letter to my sister about my life.
    • The style of letters ought to be free, easy, and natural.

  3. The literal meaning of something, as distinguished from its intended and remoter meaning…

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

    • I broke the letter of it to keep the sense.
    • Some MEPs from some countries may have pocketed £2m more than I have by observing the letter but not the spirit of the rules.
  4. ›+ 11 more definitions

    1. Literature.

      • Benjamin Franklin was multiskilled – a scientist, politician and a man of letters.

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

      • Letter (b) constitutes an exception to this provision.

    3. A size of paper, 8½ in × 11 in (215.9 mm × 279.4 mm).

    4. A size of paper, 215 mm × 280 mm.

    5. Clipping of varsity letter.

    6. A single type

      A single type; type, collectively; a style of type.

      • 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.

    7. To print, inscribe, or paint letters on something.

    8. To earn a varsity letter (award).

      • I think Mom lettered in shot put her junior year.

    9. One who lets, or lets out.

      • the letter of a room
      • a blood-letter

    10. One who retards or hinders.

    11. Alternative form of litter.

The neighborhood

Derived

accountant's letter, advisory letter, air letter, airletter, apostolic letter, begging letter, beletter, big letter, black letter, black-letter, black letter day, black-letter day, black letter law, black-letter law, block letter, bread-and-butter letter, bubble letter, bye-letter, call letters, canine letter, capital letter, chain letter, circular letter, Claudian letters, comfort letter, commercial letter of credit, covering letter, cover letter, crank letter, criss-cross letter, crossed letter, day letter, dead letter, dead letter office, Dear Colleague letter, Dear Jane letter, Dear John letter, deficiency letter, demand letter, dog's letter · +204 more

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at letter. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01letter02symbol03cardinal04zero05numerals06numeral07roman08ascenders09ascender

A definitional loop anchored at letter. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

9 hops · closes at letter

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA