Braille
Americannoun
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Louis 1809–52, French teacher of the blind.
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a system of writing or printing, devised by L. Braille for use by the blind, in which combinations of tangible dots or points are used to represent letters, characters, etc., that are read by touch.
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
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a system of writing for the blind consisting of raised dots that can be interpreted by touch, each dot or group of dots representing a letter, numeral, or punctuation mark
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any writing produced by this method Compare Moon
verb
Etymology
Origin of Braille
First recorded in 1850–55
Explanation
The raised printing that can be felt with the fingers and read that way by people who are blind or visually impaired is called braille. Braille appears as a system of embossed dots, a tactile language that can be learned by those with limited vision. Books, articles, and letters can all be transcribed into braille by hand or with the help of a braille typewriter. You might see braille printed on elevator buttons, apartment numbers, and in other public places. The writing system gets its name from its inventor, Louis Braille, who developed it at the age of 15.
Vocabulary lists containing braille
You Name It: Eponyms
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"The Jacket"
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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.
Her lobbying on equal access for disabled children led to the final Harry Potter book being released in Braille on the same day as the print version.
From BBC • Aug. 21, 2025
Away from the arts he spent than a decade volunteering at the Braille Institute where, during his playing days, he spent time reading to blind men and women.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025
For 12, he taught at the Braille Institute.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025
Studying for her GCSEs using Braille and doing her exams was particularly difficult for Alleah, 16, who lost her sight after having cancer at the age of two.
From BBC • Aug. 27, 2024
Like a blind man reading Braille, I traced my fingers over the graffiti scratched into the concrete blocks.
From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos
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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.