Definitions for letter
ˈlɛt ərlet·ter

Princeton's WordNet(4.00 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. letter, missive(noun)

   a written message addressed to a person or organization

   "mailed an indignant letter to the editor"

2. letter, letter of the alphabet, alphabetic character(noun)

   the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech

   "his grandmother taught him his letters"

3. letter(noun)

   owner who lets another person use something (housing usually) for hire

4. letter(noun)

   a strictly literal interpretation (as distinct from the intention)

   "he followed instructions to the letter"; "he obeyed the letter of the law"

5. letter, varsity letter(verb)

   an award earned by participation in a school sport

   "he won letters in three sports"

6. letter(verb)

   win an athletic letter

7. letter(verb)

   set down or print with letters

8. letter(verb)

   mark letters on or mark with letters

Wiktionary(3.67 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. letter(Noun)

   A symbol in an alphabet, bookstave.

   There are 26 letters in the English alphabet.

2. letter(Noun)

   A written message. See also note.

   I wrote a letter to my sister about my life.

3. letter

   Literal meaning.

   "Some MEPs from some countries may have pocketed u00A32m more than I have by observing the letter but not the spirit of the rules." -

4. letter

   A size of paper, 8½ in × 11 in (215.9 mm × 279.4 mm, US paper sizes rounded to the nearest 5 mm)

5. letter

   A size of paper, 215 mm × 280 mm

6. letter(Verb)

   to print, inscribe, or paint letters on something.

7. letter(Verb)

   To earn a varsity letter (award).

8. letter(Noun)

   One who lets, or lets out.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Letter(noun)

   one who lets or permits; one who lets anything for hire

   Etymology: [OE. lettre, F. lettre, OF. letre, fr. L. littera, litera, a letter; pl., an epistle, a writing, literature, fr. linere, litum, to besmear, to spread or rub over; because one of the earliest modes of writing was by graving the characters upon tablets smeared over or covered with wax. Pliny, xiii. 11. See Liniment, and cf. Literal.]

2. Letter(noun)

   one who retards or hinders

   Etymology: [OE. lettre, F. lettre, OF. letre, fr. L. littera, litera, a letter; pl., an epistle, a writing, literature, fr. linere, litum, to besmear, to spread or rub over; because one of the earliest modes of writing was by graving the characters upon tablets smeared over or covered with wax. Pliny, xiii. 11. See Liniment, and cf. Literal.]

3. Letter(noun)

   a mark or character used as the representative of a sound, or of an articulation of the human organs of speech; a first element of written language

   Etymology: [OE. lettre, F. lettre, OF. letre, fr. L. littera, litera, a letter; pl., an epistle, a writing, literature, fr. linere, litum, to besmear, to spread or rub over; because one of the earliest modes of writing was by graving the characters upon tablets smeared over or covered with wax. Pliny, xiii. 11. See Liniment, and cf. Literal.]

4. Letter(noun)

   a written or printed communication; a message expressed in intelligible characters on something adapted to conveyance, as paper, parchment, etc.; an epistle

   Etymology: [OE. lettre, F. lettre, OF. letre, fr. L. littera, litera, a letter; pl., an epistle, a writing, literature, fr. linere, litum, to besmear, to spread or rub over; because one of the earliest modes of writing was by graving the characters upon tablets smeared over or covered with wax. Pliny, xiii. 11. See Liniment, and cf. Literal.]

5. Letter(noun)

   a writing; an inscription

   Etymology: [OE. lettre, F. lettre, OF. letre, fr. L. littera, litera, a letter; pl., an epistle, a writing, literature, fr. linere, litum, to besmear, to spread or rub over; because one of the earliest modes of writing was by graving the characters upon tablets smeared over or covered with wax. Pliny, xiii. 11. See Liniment, and cf. Literal.]

6. Letter(noun)

   verbal expression; literal statement or meaning; exact signification or requirement

   Etymology: [OE. lettre, F. lettre, OF. letre, fr. L. littera, litera, a letter; pl., an epistle, a writing, literature, fr. linere, litum, to besmear, to spread or rub over; because one of the earliest modes of writing was by graving the characters upon tablets smeared over or covered with wax. Pliny, xiii. 11. See Liniment, and cf. Literal.]

7. Letter(noun)

   a single type; type, collectively; a style of type

   Etymology: [OE. lettre, F. lettre, OF. letre, fr. L. littera, litera, a letter; pl., an epistle, a writing, literature, fr. linere, litum, to besmear, to spread or rub over; because one of the earliest modes of writing was by graving the characters upon tablets smeared over or covered with wax. Pliny, xiii. 11. See Liniment, and cf. Literal.]

8. Letter(noun)

   learning; erudition; as, a man of letters

   Etymology: [OE. lettre, F. lettre, OF. letre, fr. L. littera, litera, a letter; pl., an epistle, a writing, literature, fr. linere, litum, to besmear, to spread or rub over; because one of the earliest modes of writing was by graving the characters upon tablets smeared over or covered with wax. Pliny, xiii. 11. See Liniment, and cf. Literal.]

9. Letter(noun)

   a letter; an epistle

   Etymology: [OE. lettre, F. lettre, OF. letre, fr. L. littera, litera, a letter; pl., an epistle, a writing, literature, fr. linere, litum, to besmear, to spread or rub over; because one of the earliest modes of writing was by graving the characters upon tablets smeared over or covered with wax. Pliny, xiii. 11. See Liniment, and cf. Literal.]

10. Letter(verb)

    to impress with letters; to mark with letters or words; as, a book gilt and lettered

    Etymology: [OE. lettre, F. lettre, OF. letre, fr. L. littera, litera, a letter; pl., an epistle, a writing, literature, fr. linere, litum, to besmear, to spread or rub over; because one of the earliest modes of writing was by graving the characters upon tablets smeared over or covered with wax. Pliny, xiii. 11. See Liniment, and cf. Literal.]

Freebase(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Letter

   A letter is a written message containing information from one party to another. The role of letters in communication has changed significantly since the nineteenth century. Historically, letters were the only reliable means of communication between two people in different locations. As communication technology has diversified, posted letters have become less important as a routine form of communication. For example, the development of the telegraph shortened the time taken to send a letter by transferring the letter as an electrical signal between distant points. At the telegraph office closest to the destination of the letter, the signal was transferred back into a hardcopy format and sent as a normal mail to the person's home. This allowed the normal speed of communication to be drastically shortened for large distances. The facsimile machine took this one step further: an entire letter could be completely transferred electrically from the sender's house to the receiver's house by means of the telephone network as an image. Today, the internet by means of email plays a large part in written communications. Historically, letters exist from the time of ancient India, ancient Egypt and Sumer, through Rome, Greece and China, up to the present day. Letters make up several of the books of the Bible. Archives of correspondence, whether for personal, diplomatic, or business reasons, serve as primary sources for historians.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Letter

   let′ėr, n. a conventional mark to express a sound: a written or printed message: literal meaning: a printing-type: (pl.) learning, literary culture.—v.t. to stamp letters upon.—ns. Lett′er-bal′ance, a balance for testing the weight of a letter for post; Lett′er-board (print.), board on which matter in type is placed for keeping or convenience in handling; Lett′er-book, a book in which letters or copies of letters are kept; Lett′er-box, a box in a post-office, at the door of a house, &c., for receiving letters; Lett′er-carr′ier, a postman; Lett′er-case, a portable writing-desk.—adj. Lett′ered, marked with letters: educated: versed in literature: belonging to learning (Lettered proof and Proof before letters; see Proof).—ns. Lett′erer; Lett′er-found′er, one who founds or casts letters or types; Lett′ering, the act of impressing letters: the letters impressed.—adj. Lett′erless, illiterate.—ns. Lett′er-miss′ive, an official letter on matters of common interest, sent to members of a church: a letter from the sovereign addressed to a dean and chapter, naming the person they are to elect bishop—also Royal letter; Lett′ern (same as Lectern); Lett′er-of-cred′it, a letter authorising credit or cash to a certain sum to be paid to the bearer; Lett′er-of-marque (märk), a commission given to a private ship by a government to make reprisals on the vessels of another state.—adj. Lett′er-per′fect, kept in the memory exactly (of an actor's part, &c.).—ns. Lett′erpress, letters impressed or matter printed from type, as distinguished from engraving: a copying-press; Lett′ers-pā′tent, a writing conferring a patent or authorising a person to enjoy some privilege, so called because written on open sheets of parchment; Lett′er-stamp, a post-office implement for defacing a postage-stamp: a stamp for imprinting dates, &c., on letters or papers; Lett′er-wood, the heart-wood of a tree found in British Guiana, dark brown, with darker spots somewhat resembling hieroglyphics; Lett′er-writ′er, one who writes letters, esp. for hire: a book containing forms for imitation in writing letters.—Letter of indication (see Circular); Letters of administration, a document issued by court appointing an administrator of an intestate estate; Letters requisitory, or rogatory, an instrument by which a court of one country asks that of another to take certain evidence on its behalf; Lettre de cachet (see Cachet). [Fr. lettre—L. littera.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Letter

   Work consisting of written or printed communication between individuals or between persons and representatives of corporate bodies. The correspondence may be personal or professional. In medical and other scientific publications the letter is usually from one or more authors to the editor of the journal or book publishing the item being commented upon or discussed. LETTER is often accompanied by COMMENT.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. letter

   A written or typed document.

   They sent a letter confirming the details of the agreement.

   Submitted by MaryC on March 4, 2020  

2. letter

   Symbol with meaning.

   Letters form the part of many alphabets.

   Submitted by MaryC on January 31, 2020  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'letter' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #761

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'letter' in Written Corpus Frequency: #643

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'letter' in Nouns Frequency: #162

How to pronounce letter?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say letter in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of letter in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of letter in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of letter in a Sentence

1. Eugene Botkin:

   I am making a last attempt at writing a real letter -- at least from here -- although that qualification, I believe, is utterly superfluous. I do not think that I was fated at any time to write to anyone from anywhere.

2. Alex Azar:

   When I was there I actually signed a letter of intent with minister of health Juan Pablo Uribe for the United States to be providing HIV antiretrovirals to Colombia for the use with Venezuelan refugees.

3. Blaise Pascal, Lettres Proviciales (1657):

   I have made this letter long because I have not the time to make it shorter.

4. State John Kerry:

   It is incorrect when (the letter) says that Congress can actually modify the terms of an agreement at any time. That is flat wrong.

5. Pascal Lamy:

   The U.S. president is taking trade decisions that are in total violation of the WTO rules, that was the case with these Mexican tariffs. The notion that you put a tariff because there are too many people crossing the border is just miles away from any letter and spirit of the WTO agreement. Which is why I qualify this as hostage-taking.

Images & Illustrations of letter

Popularity rank by frequency of use