letter

[let·ter]

A letter is one of the characters that make up the alphabet. When a child first learns to write, she often starts with the letters in her name. Then she can write a message, or letter, to her grandmother.

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

Noun
a written message addressed to a person or organization; "mailed an indignant letter to the editor"

Noun
an award earned by participation in a school sport; "he won letters in three sports"

Noun
the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech; "his grandmother taught him his letters"

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

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

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Verb
mark letters on or mark with letters

Verb
set down or print with letters

Verb
win an athletic letter

n.
One who lets or permits; one who lets anything for hire.

n.
One who retards or hinders.

n.
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.

n.
A written or printed communication; a message expressed in intelligible characters on something adapted to conveyance, as paper, parchment, etc.; an epistle.

n.
A writing; an inscription.

n.
Verbal expression; literal statement or meaning; exact signification or requirement.

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

n.
Learning; erudition; as, a man of letters.

n.
A letter; an epistle.

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

Letter

Let"ter , n. [From Let to permit.] One who lets or permits; one who lets anything for hire.

Letter

Let"ter, n. [From Let to hinder.] One who retards or hinders. [Archaic.]

Letter

Let"ter, n. [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.

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.

3. A writing; an inscription. [Obs.]

None could expound what this letter meant.

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.

I broke the letter of it to keep the sense.

5. (Print.) 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.

6. pl. Learning; erudition; as, a man of letters. 7. pl. 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.

-- 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 ∨ 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, ∨ 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.

Letter

Let"ter , v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lettered ; p. pr. & vb. n. Lettering.] To impress with letters; to mark with letters or words; as, a book gilt and lettered.

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

One who retards or hinders.

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.

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

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Usage Examples

If you read back in the Bible, the letter of the apostle Paul to the church of Thessalonia, he said that in the latter days before the end of the age that the Earth would be caught up in what he called the birth pangs of a new order.

I saw 'The Artist.' It's really beautiful and it's all done to the letter with all the silent film techniques. The costumes were amazing and the dog is so good.

I drank for about 25 years getting over the loss of my father and I took the anger out on myself. I did a good job at beating myself up at sometimes. I don't drink anymore but my alcoholic head occasionally says different. 'Nil By Mouth' was a love letter to my father because I needed to resolve some issues in order to be able to forgive him.

Personal beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of reference.

My nominee for Best Picture of the year - maybe the best picture ever, because it's essentially made up of and is an ecstatic love letter to all other movies - is Christian Marclay's endlessly enticing must-see masterpiece 'The Clock.'

I'm talking to you and it's basically a direct communication, whereas if I'm writing a letter to you and you read the letter, there are like 12 extra deconstruction and reconstruction steps in the communication.

I was dating this guy and we would spend all day text messaging each other. And he thought that he could tell that he liked me more because he actually spelt the word 'YOU' and I just put the letter 'U'.

I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.

After the writer's death, reading his journal is like receiving a long letter.

Misspelled Form

letter, kletter, oletter, pletter, :letter, ketter, oetter, petter, :etter, lketter, loetter, lpetter, l:etter, lwetter, l3etter, l4etter, lretter, lsetter, ldetter, lwtter, l3tter, l4tter, lrtter, lstter, ldtter, lewtter, le3tter, le4tter, lertter, lestter, ledtter, lertter, le5tter, le6tter, leytter, legtter, lerter, le5ter, le6ter, leyter, legter, letrter, let5ter, let6ter, letyter, letgter, letrter, let5ter, let6ter, letyter, letgter, letrer, let5er, let6er, letyer, letger, lettrer, lett5er, lett6er, lettyer, lettger, lettwer, lett3er, lett4er, lettrer, lettser, lettder, lettwr, lett3r, lett4r, lettrr, lettsr, lettdr, lettewr, lette3r, lette4r, letterr, lettesr, lettedr, letteer, lette4r, lette5r, lettetr, lettefr, lettee, lette4, lette5, lettet, lettef, lettere, letter4, letter5, lettert, letterf.

Other Usage Examples

In my experience an appreciative letter from a fellow writer means a lot.

My faith grew strong, and I sent a letter (as I was ordered) to the Rev. Dignitary of the Cathedral of Exeter. I was assured, before I sent it, he would not answer it.

I've been quite fascinated by the relative insignificance of human existence, the shortness of life. We might as well be a letter in a word in a sentence on a page in a book in a library in a city in one country in this enormous universe! And that kind of fear and insignificance has kept me awake at night.

I love things made out of animals. It's just so funny to think of someone saying, 'I need a letter opener. I guess I'll have to kill a deer.

A fan sent me a letter and a $10 bill. It's a short letter - all she said was, 'Hey, since it's harder for you to go out these days without getting photographed, here $10 for a pizza.' I was like, 'Aww, she sent me money for a pizza so I could eat at home!'

I have been committed to carrying out my duties... in accordance with both the letter and spirit of all applicable rules of ethics and canons of conduct.

As soon as I began, it seemed impossible to write fast enough - I wrote faster than I would write a letter - two thousand to three thousand words in a morning, and I cannot help it.

A good face they say, is a letter of recommendation. O Nature, Nature, why art thou so dishonest, as ever to send men with these false recommendations into the World!

It was a good 15 or 20 years before anyone at Rand would be in the same room with me. They didn't want the question raised, 'What's your relationship with Daniel Ellsberg?' And not one of them wrote me a letter because they didn't want a letter of theirs to show up in my trash - which the FBI had been going through.

I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter.