letter
1[ let-er ]
/ ˈlɛt ər /
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noun
verb (used with object)
to mark or write with letters; inscribe.
verb (used without object)
to earn a letter in an interscholastic or intercollegiate activity, especially a sport: He lettered in track at Harvard.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!
Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!
Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
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Idioms for letter
to the letter, to the last particular; precisely: His orders were carried out to the letter.
Origin of letter
1First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, variant of lettre, from Old French, from Latin littera “alphabetic character,” in plural, “epistle, literature”
synonym study for letter
8. See literature.
OTHER WORDS FROM letter
let·ter·er, nounlet·ter·less, adjectiveWords nearby letter
Definition for letter (2 of 2)
letter2
[ let-er ]
/ ˈlɛt ər /
noun Chiefly British.
a person who lets, especially one who rents out property.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for letter
letter
/ (ˈlɛtə) /
noun
verb
to write or mark letters on (a sign, etc), esp by hand
(tr) to set down or print using letters
See also letters
Derived forms of letter
letterer, nounWord Origin for letter
C13: from Old French lettre, from Latin littera letter of the alphabet
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with letter
letter
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.