letter

[let-er]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR letter ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a written or printed communication addressed to a person or organization and usually transmitted by mail.

a symbol or character that is conventionally used in writing and printing to represent a speech sound and that is part of an alphabet.

a piece of printing type bearing such a symbol or character.

a particular style of type.

such types collectively.

Often letters. a formal document granting a right or privilege.

actual terms or wording; literal meaning, as distinct from implied meaning or intent (opposed to spirit): the letter of the law.

letters, (used with a singular or plural verb)

literature in general.
the profession of literature.
learning; knowledge, especially of literature.

an emblem consisting of the initial or monogram of a school, awarded to a student for extracurricular activity, especially in athletics.

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.

Idioms

to the letter, to the last particular; precisely: His orders were carried out to the letter.

Origin of letter

1175–1225; Middle English, variant of lettre < Old French < Latin littera alphabetic character, in plural, epistle, literature

Related formslet·ter·er, nounlet·ter·less, adjective

Can be confusedletter lighter liter litter

Synonyms for letter

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR letter ON THESAURUS.COM

8. See literature.

letter

[let-er]

noun Chiefly British.

a person who lets, especially one who rents out property.

Origin of letter

1375–1425; late Middle English letere; see let¹, -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for letters

sign, memo, memorandum, note, answer, report, reply, message, postcard, alphabet, cap, character, minuscule, capital, type, majuscule, rune, uncial, billet, dispatch

Examples from the Web for letters

Contemporary Examples of letters

But then, I would look at the letters that people have sent.
Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen
Sharon Adarlo
December 27, 2014
In letters to Theo, Vincent would preach to younger brother the virtues of life.
Decoding Vincent Van Gogh’s Tempestuous, Fragile Mind
Nick Mafi
December 7, 2014
Its reporting and commentary on politics, society, and arts and letters have nurtured a broad liberal spirit in our national life.
Facebook Prince Purges The New Republic: Inside the Destruction of a 100-Year-Old Magazine
Lloyd Grove
December 5, 2014
This past week a new eBay auction announced the sale of “Ancient Egyptian papyrus with Greek letters—Bible.”
Dismembering History: The Shady Online Trade in Ancient Texts
Candida Moss
November 23, 2014
Letters would not be hidden away in bedrooms but stored on cell phones.
How Sicko Priests Got Away With It
Barbie Latza Nadeau
November 16, 2014

Historical Examples of letters

But Mr. Paine assured her that letters were likely to be irregular, and there was no ground for alarm.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Of course they did not use the letters which have been used to print this book.
Ancient Man
Hendrik Willem van Loon
In one of his letters he says: "Harriet has hitched on, and with all her might; she is a whole team."
Harriet, The Moses of Her People
Sarah H. Bradford
Sent her back her letters—with a tickler to herself on her conduct.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
I take you at your word, Clarissa—Give me his letters; and the copies of yours.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for letters

letters

noun (functioning as plural or singular)

literary knowledge, ability, or learninga man of letters

literary culture in general

an official title, degree, etc, indicated by an abbreviationletters after one's name

letter

noun

any of a set of conventional symbols used in writing or printing a language, each symbol being associated with a group of phonetic values in the language; character of the alphabet

a written or printed communication addressed to a person, company, etc, usually sent by post in an envelopeRelated adjective: epistolary

the letter the strict legalistic or pedantic interpretation of the meaning of an agreement, document, etc; exact wording as distinct from actual intention (esp in the phrase the letter of the law)Compare spirit 1 (def. 10)

printing archaic a style of typefacea fancy letter

to the letter

following the literal interpretation or wording exactly
attending to every detail

verb

to write or mark letters on (a sign, etc), esp by hand

(tr) to set down or print using letters

Word 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for letters

"the profession of authorship or literature," mid-13c., from plural of letter (n.).

letter

"to write in letters," 1660s, from letter (n.1). Earlier it meant "to instruct" (mid-15c.). Related: Lettered; lettering.

letter

n.2

"one who lets" in any sense, c.1400, agent noun from let (v.).

letter

n.1

c.1200, "graphic symbol, alphabetic sign, written character," from Old French letre (10c., Modern French lettre) "character, letter; missive, note," in plural, "literature, writing, learning," from Latin littera (also litera) "letter of the alphabet," of uncertain origin, perhaps via Etruscan from Greek diphthera "tablet," with change of d- to l- as in lachrymose. In this sense it replaced Old English bocstæf, literally "book staff" (cf. German Buchstabe "letter, character," from Old High German buohstab, from Proto-Germanic *bok-staba-m).

Latin littera also meant "a writing, document, record," and in plural litteræ "a letter, epistle," a sense first attested in English early 13c., replacing Old English ærendgewrit, literally "errand-writing." The Latin plural also meant "literature, books," and figuratively "learning, liberal education, schooling" (see letters). School letter in sports, attested by 1908, were said to have been first awarded by University of Chicago football coach Amos Alonzo Stagg. Expression to the letter "precisely" is from 1520s (earlier as after the letter). Letter-perfect is from 1845, originally in theater jargon, in reference to an actor knowing the lines exactly. Letter-press, in reference to matter printed from relief surfaces, is from 1840.

Idioms and Phrases with letters

letter

In addition to the idiom beginning with letter

letter of the law

also see:

bread and butter letter
crank call (letter)
dead letter
four-letter word
poison-pen letter
red-letter day
to the letter