Letter Definition

lĕtər
lettered, letters
noun
letters
A written or printed symbol employed to represent a speech sound or sounds; character in an alphabet: in some languages, as English, some words contain letters that are no longer sounded.
Webster's New World
A written symbol or character used in the graphemic representation of a word, such as the h in Thames.
American Heritage
A written or printed message to a person or group, usually sent by mail in an envelope.
Webster's New World
An official document giving certain authorities or privileges.
Webster's New World
A certified document granting rights to its bearer.
American Heritage
Antonyms:
verb
lettered, letters
To make hand-printed letters on; mark with letters.
To letter a poster.
Webster's New World
To make hand-printed letters.
Webster's New World
To set down in hand-printed letters.
To letter one's name.
Webster's New World
To earn a school letter as in a sport.
Webster's New World
idiom
to the letter
  • To the last detail; exactly:

    followed instructions to the letter.

American Heritage
to the letter
  • just as written or directed; precisely
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Letter

Noun

Singular:
letter
Plural:
letters

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Letter

Origin of Letter

  • Middle English letter, lettre, from Old French letre, from Latin littera (“letter of the alphabet"; in plural, "epistle”), from Etruscan, from Ancient Greek διφθέρα (diphtherā). Displaced native Middle English bocstaf, bookstave (“letter, alphabetic symbol”) (from Old English bōcstæf (“alphabetic symbol, written character”)), Middle English bocrune, bocroune (“letter, written character”) (from Old English bōc (“book”) + rūn (“letter, rune”)), Middle English writrune, writroune (“letter, document”) (from Old English writ (“letter, epistle”) + rūn (“letter, rune”)), Old English ǣrendbōc (“letter, message”), Old English ǣrendġewrit (“letter, written message”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old French lettre from Latin littera perhaps from Etruscan from Greek diphtherā hide, leather, writing surface

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • let +‎ -er

    From Wiktionary

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