Braille

American  

[breyl] / breɪl /

Also braille

noun

1. Louis 1809–52, French teacher of the blind.

2. 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.

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verb (used with object)

Brailled, Brailling

1. to write or transliterate in Braille characters.

Braille ¹ British  

/ braj /

noun

1. Louis (lwi). 1809–52, French inventor, musician, and teacher of the blind, who himself was blind from the age of three and who devised the Braille system of raised writing

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Braille ² British  

/ breɪl /

noun

1. 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

2. any writing produced by this method Compare Moon

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verb

1. (tr) to print or write using this method

Braille Cultural  

1. A system of writing and printing for the blind in which arrangements of raised dots representing letters and numbers can be identified by touch.

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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.

Example Sentences

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