Etimology
From Middle English letter, lettre, from Old French letre, from Latin littera (“letter of the alphabet"; in plural, "epistle”), from Etruscan, from Ancient Greek διφθέρᾱ (diphthérā, “tablet”). Related to diphtheria. Displaced Old English bōcstæf (literally “book staff”) in sense 1 and ǣrendġewrit (literally “message writing”) in sense 2.
noun
letter (plural letters)
A symbol in an alphabet.
A written or printed communication, generally longer and more formal than a note.
The literal meaning of something, as distinguished from its intended and remoter meaning (the spirit).
(in the plural) Literature.
(law) A division unit of a piece of law marked by a letter of the alphabet.
(US, uncountable) A size of paper, 8½ in × 11 in (215.9 mm × 279.4 mm).
(Canada, uncountable) A size of paper, 215 mm × 280 mm.
(US, scholastic) Clipping of varsity letter.
(printing, dated) A single type; type, collectively; a style of type.
Examples
There are twenty-six letters in the English alphabet.
And a superscription also was written ouer him in letters of Greeke, and Latin, & Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE IEWES.
I wrote a letter to my sister about my life.
The style of letters ought to be free, easy, and natural.
The magician gave this to the young man and said to him,“ Go at such an hour of the night and stand before a pagan tomb and call the demons, and throw the letter into the air, and immediately they will come to you.” And the young man called the devils and threw the letter into the air, and the prince of darkness came, […]
He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement.
An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’.
In obedience to humane laws, we muſt obſerve the letter of the Law, where we can without doing violence to the reaſon of the Law and the intention of the Law-giver: but where they croſſe each other, the charity of the Law is to be preferred before its diſcipline, and the reaſon of it before the letter.
I broke the letter of it to keep the sense.
Some MEPs from some countries may have pocketed £2m more than I have by observing the letter but not the spirit of the rules.
Benjamin Franklin was multiskilled – a scientist, politician and a man of letters.
Letter constitutes an exception to this provision.
Under these, thro’ a garden in which is an ample fountaine, was the King's printing-house, and that famous letter so much esteem’d.
Related words
synonyms
(written character/alphabetic symbol): bookstaff/bookstave
hyponyms
epistle
missive
related terms
literacy
literal
literary
literate
literature
verb
letter (third-person singular simple present letters, present participle lettering, simple past and past participle lettered)
(transitive) To print, inscribe, or paint letters on something.
(intransitive, US, scholastic) To earn a varsity letter (award).
Examples
I think Mom lettered in shot put her junior year.
Etimology
From Middle English letere, equivalent to let + -er.
noun
letter (plural letters)
One who lets, or lets out.
(archaic) One who retards or hinders.
Examples
the letter of a room
a blood-letter