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

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Antonyms:
speech
number

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