English Dictionary
Definition of “letter”
letter (ˈlɛtə
)
Definitions
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 envelope epistolary
- See the letter
- printing archaic a style of typeface ⇒
a fancy letter
- See to the letter
verb
- to write or mark letters on (a sign, etc), esp by hand
- (tr) to set down or print using letters
Alternative Forms
ˈletterer noun Word Origin
C13: from Old French lettre, from Latin littera letter of the alphabet
Synonyms
View thesaurus entry
=
message,
line,
answer,
note,
reply,
communication,
dispatch,
acknowledgment,
billet,
missive,
epistle,
email or e-mail
Quotations
"Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls"
John Donne"All letters, methinks, should be free and easy as one's discourse, not studied as an oration, not made up of hard words like a charm"
Dorothy Osborne"I have made this [letter] longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter"
Blaise Pascal
Translations
- British English:
letter
Letters are written symbols that represent the sounds in a language.Create a password made up of letters and numbers.ˈlɛtə NOUN Create a password made up of letters and numbers.
- Spanish:
letra
nf
- French:
lettre
nf
- German:
Buchstabe
nm
- Chinese: 字母 n
- Arabic: حَرْفٌ n
- Portuguese: carta nf
- Russian: буква nf
- Croatian: slovo nnt
- Czech: písmeno nm
- Danish: bogstav nnt
- Dutch: letter n
- Finnish: kirjain n
- Greek: γράμμα n
- Italian: lettera nf
- Japanese: 文字 n
- Korean: 글자 n
- Norwegian: bokstav nm
- Polish: litera nf
- Brazilian Portuguese: letra nf
- European Spanish:
letra
nf
- Swedish: bokstav nutr
- Thai: ตัวอักษร n
- Turkish: harf n
- Vietnamese: chữ cái n
- British English:
letter
A letter is a message on paper that you post to someone.I received a letter from a friend.ˈlɛtə NOUN I received a letter from a friend.
- Spanish:
carta
nf
- French:
lettre
nf
- German:
Brief
nm
- Chinese: 信函 n
- Arabic: رِسَالَةٌ n
- Portuguese: carta nf
- Russian: письмо nnt
- Croatian: pismo nnt
- Czech: dopis nm
- Danish: brev nnt
- Dutch: brief nm
- Finnish: kirje n
- Greek: επιστολή nnt
- Italian: lettera nf
- Japanese: 手紙 n
- Korean: 편지 n
- Norwegian: brev nnt
- Polish: list nm
- Brazilian Portuguese: carta nf
- European Spanish:
carta
nf
- Swedish: brev nnt
- Thai: จดหมาย
- Turkish: mektup n
- Vietnamese: thư n
Usage examples
Berlin 2nd January 1943 Dear Karl, We have had another letter from Julius.
Robert Wilson, THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS (2002)"All they will know is which postal district the letter was posted in.
New Scientist (2003)Mr Howlin was responding to a query following a letter sent to him by one of Father Fortune's victims, Mr Colm O'Gorman.
Irish Times (2002)Disney flogged the letter 'D' from the original Disneyland sign for about £20,000.
Glasgow Herald (2001)After the coffee came Jean-Paul placed Jacob Tournier's letter on the table.
Tracy Chevalier, THE VIRGIN BLUE (2002)
