Dictionaries › English

letter

Pronunciation: /ˈlɛtə/

The English word “letter” has 12 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A symbol in an alphabet.
  2. A written or printed communication, usually defined as longer and more formal than a note. (Sometimes specifically one that is on paper.)
  3. The literal meaning of something, as distinguished from its intended and remoter meaning (the spirit).
  4. Literature.
  5. A division unit of a piece of law marked by a letter of the alphabet.
  6. A size of paper, 8½ in × 11 in (215.9 mm × 279.4 mm).
  7. A size of paper, 215 mm × 280 mm.
  8. A single type; type, collectively; a style of type.
  9. One who lets, or lets out.
  10. One who retards or hinders.

verb

  1. To print, inscribe, or paint letters on something.
  2. To earn a varsity letter (award).

Etymology

From Middle English letter, lettre, from Old French letre, from Latin littera (“letter of the alphabet"; in plural, "epistle”). Displaced Old English bōcstæf (literally “book staff”) in sense 1 and ǣrendġewrit (literally “message writing”) in sense 2.

Keep exploring: in the interactive dictionary every word of a definition is a link. Open “letter” there

More English words

About this dictionary

The English dictionary on Glottosphere has 650,529 entries with a page. Browse the English dictionary.

Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.