black letter
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of black letter
First recorded in 1630–40
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It doesn’t say you have to go to court, you don’t have to do X, Y and Z; that’s what the black letter law says,” Sarega said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025
"Not only is this rule not authorized by existing law and is actually contrary to black letter Georgia law, but it presents very serious security and chain of custody concerns."
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2024
The refusal to answer even the simplest yes/no questions about what black letter law means, and who it binds, has the effect—intentional or not—of unsettling what was once widely accepted and understood.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2020
The ecclesiastical notes — stained-glass border and black letter type — of that poster all felt like they were coming from the same place.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 5, 2020
There were six large gray tents, and each one had a black letter on it: A, B, C, D, E, or F. The first five tents were for the campers.
From "Holes" by Louis Sachar
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
