† lettingn.¹

Forms: see let v.² and -ing suffix¹; also Old English lettige (accusative singular, transmission error), Middle English lettyngynge (transmission error).

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: let v.², -ing suffix¹.

Etymology: < let v.² + -ing suffix¹. Compare Middle Low German lettinge delay, hindrance, early modern German letzung injury (15th cent.; now superseded by the prefixed noun Verletzung ). Compare let n.¹

Obsolete.

1. The action of let v.²

a. The action of causing obstruction; an obstacle, a hindrance.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > [noun] > action of

lettingOE

impeachingc1400

thwartingc1430

interruption1463

inhibition1621

obstructing1641

clogging1647

obstruction1656

thorteringa1693

interclusion1798

OE Rule St. Benet (Tiber.) (1888) lii. 87 Ne alius impedimentum patiatur : oðer lettincge þæt he na þolige.

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1101 Se cyng syddan scipa ut on sæ sende his broðer to dære & to lættinge.

c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 36 (MED) Hwer se eauer þe gast wule, þe bodi is ananriht wiðute lettunge [a1250 Titus lettinge], for ne mei ham naþing aȝeines etstonden.

a1250 Ureisun ure Louerde (Lamb.) in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 187 Þe bitternesse of mine sunnen attri is þe lettunge.

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3204 Non man on hem letting dede.

c1390 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 171 (MED) For þreo lettynges þat þer bene, A Mon mai not deeme rihtwislye: Þe furste lettyng..A þing þat is to fer from eiȝe..Schal lette his siht þauȝ hit be clere.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4914 For drightin dos vs na letting.

1486 Countess of Oxford in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 447 To the letting of his seid purpose.

1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) x. l. 489 And our he swam, for lattyng fand he nocht.

1502 tr. Ordynarye of Crysten Men (de Worde) i. i. sig. a.v ^v He may be in the waye of saluacyon yf he haue none other lettynge.

1592 B. Pheodorowich in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1600) I. 505 Your Queenes Maiesties merchants..shalbe at libertie without any hindering or letting.

1657 Divine Lover 299 The waye is..full of..theiues, and many other greate lettings.

1843 Christian Guardian Mar. 96 The eighth letting [to prayer] is, the increasing of sin.

1889 D. B. Ford Comm. Epist. Romans in A. Hovey Amer. Comm. New Test. i. 37/1 What the nature of the letting, or hindrance, was we are not told.

b. The action of delaying or tarrying; a delay; a pause. Frequently in without (also but) letting: without delay; straightaway.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > [noun]

lettingOE

leta1175

marring1357

impediment1398

impeachment1432

unhelpc1449

interruption1463

impeach1511

hindrance1526

prevening1557

offence1578

cross1600

impedition1623

obstructing1641

impede1659

objectiona1667

bottleneck1886

dead wood1887

log-jam1890

the world > action or operation > easiness > [adverb] > without hindrance or encumberment

freelyeOE

wellOE

freec1250

glidderly13..

without (also but) lettingc1330

oliver current1466

smootha1500

pronewise1585

currently1586

glib1594

glibly1607

clearly1612

swimminglya1640

smoothly1668

uninterrupted1677

unobstructedly1788

smack-smooth1802

sweetly1825

sweet1846

unimpededly1846

hitchlessly1910

OE Aldhelm Glosses (Brussels 1650) in L. Goossens Old Eng. Glosses of MS Brussels, Royal Libr. 1650 (1974) 486 Hęc morosa tricatio : dilatio, þeos ylfulle letting.

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Domitian A.viii) anno 995 Se arcebiscop þa butan ælcre lettinge mid eallan þ[an wi]sum mannum ferde an an to ðan cinge & cyddan him eall, eal swa we herbeforan tealdan.

c1330 Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) l. 828 (MED) Hit was ido wiȝ outen letting.

c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. vii. l. 7 (MED) ‘Þat weore a long lettynge [v.r. abydyng],’ quaþ a ladi in a skleir.

c1400 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 425 Seynt Poule biddes men preye wiþouten lettynge.

?a1425 MS Hunterian 95 f. 182^v, in Middle Eng. Dict. at Letting(e Salte is cause of lettinge of mollificacioun in euerye place.

1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) ii. 12 Ye lord ye Bruce but mar letting Gert preuely bryng stedys twa.

a1500 Walter of Henley's Husbandry (Sloane) (1890) 45 (MED) Ye knowe..þat þer erne in þe yere lij wekis & viij wekis for holydays and oþer letynges.

1729 S. Switzer Introd. Gen. Syst. Hydrostaticks & Hydraulicks II. iv. xxxii. 365 Frictio..imports..Letting, Hindrance, or Stoppage in Fluids, and in all Mechanick and Hydraulick Motion.

2. Wasting of time.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > spending time > [noun] > wasting time

lettingc1440

slacking1542

missinga1547

dalliance1567

slipping1571

time-wasting1670

c1440 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1895) I. 310 (MED) The ffirste es þat mane be in honeste werke with-owttene lettynge [a1425 Arun. losyng] of his tyme.

a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. cxvii. f. liiii^v To shewe here the vayne, and dissymulyd sorowe that Fredegunde made for the Kynge It were but lettynge of tyme.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

lettingn.²

Brit.

/ˈlɛtɪŋ/, U.S.

/ˈlɛdɪŋ/

Forms: see let v.¹ and -ing suffix¹.

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: let v.¹, -ing suffix¹.

Etymology: < let v.¹ + -ing suffix¹.

1. The action of allowing movement or passage; the action of permitting or allowing to happen; an instance of this.Recorded earliest in bloodletting n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > bloodletting > [noun]

bloodleaseeOE

bloodlettingOE

lettingOE

minutionc1386

vein bloodc1405

bleedingc1440

blooding1525

eventation?1543

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > [noun] > letting fall

shedding1362

lettingc1500

the world > movement > [noun] > allowing movement or passage of

letting1690

society > authority > lack of subjection > permission > [noun] > action of permitting

granting1340

allowinga1402

licensing1588

permitting1645

allowment1808

letting1839

OE Prohibition against Bloodletting in L. S. Chardonnens Anglo-Saxon Prognostics (2007) 281 And eallum criste[n]mannum on þa tid is blodlætincg forboden.

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 15 Þe vttere riwle..of ouwer werkes..& of blodletunge.

1445–6 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. Feb. 1445 §39. m. 6 For fyn, fee, suyte of prison, maynprise, letyng to baill.

c1500 (?a1437) Kingis Quair (1939) xli Onely throu latting of myn eyen fall.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 239/1 Lettyng of blode, seignee.

1599 R. Allott Wits Theater Little World f. 39 The Indians burne themselues before they come to extreame age, terming it the letting of men loose.

1634 R. H. tr. Regim. Salerni 195 When the menstruosity keepeth due course..letting of bloud should not be done.

1690 J. Fairman Jrnl. in Mariner's Mirror (1972) 58 109 We stowd The small bour out of the way of him [sc. the sheet anchor] and Made all Ridy for Letting of him goe.

1715 J. Delacoste tr. H. Boerhaave Aphorisms 28 The Cure is performed, by letting of Blood.

1786 J. Gillies Hist. Anc. Greece II. xxiv. 439 The letting loose of the Delphic treasures had diffused near a million sterling over Greece.

1839 P. J. Bailey Festus 238 The good we do is of His own good will,—The ill, of His own letting.

1856 Mechanics' Mag. 26 Apr. 399/2 The letting of the cross sleepers into the longitudinal sleepers.

1909 Anat. Rec. Jan. 49 The thorough mixing of the ingredients and the letting of the solution stand for 12 to 24 hours before use.

1984 T. C. Schelling Choice & Consequence vi. 154 The difference between letting and helping will often depend just on what the norm is.

2001 R. French Canonical Med. v. 224 A general letting of blood..sent the matter back to where it had come from.

2. The action of leasing something to or from a person; an instance of this. Cf. letting out n. (a) at Compounds 1a.Not usual in North America.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > selling > hiring or letting out > [noun]

hiringc1400

letting1425

lettage1530

fee-farming1549

renting1552

location1581

loan1601

rental1800

let1839

letment-

1425 Indenture of Agreem. in Paston Lett. & Papers (2005) III. 3 Þe seid William Joye..shal..well and sufficiauntly to his profyt and profyt of þe seid William Paston, of þe dimise and letyng of þe seid William Paston, ocupie, eryn, telyn, sedyn, sowen and harwyn in seisonable tyme al þe arable londes of þe seid William Paston in Paston and Edyngthorp.

1446 in C. Innes Registrum Episcopatus Brechinensis (1856) I. 109 Before ony settyn or to mail lattyn of the said tak.

c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 279 The Holi Scripture..licencid preestis..forto haue..housis, and pasturis; namelich so manye as thei hem silf, withoute into ferme to othere men leting, hadden nede or profit for to haue.

1538 in F. J. Furnivall Gild of St. Mary, Lichfield (1920) 8 All men which haue or hold ony tenement of the lettyng of the master and the wardens.

1596 W. Perkins Disc. Conscience iii. 103 By this dedication we may well vnderstand..the letting of the house, or the prouiding of a tenant.

1626 Sir J. Oglander Mem. (1888) 4 In Qvene Elizabeth's tyme he came in agayne, and for his honor had ye lettinge and gettinge of ye Quene's lands.

1656 H. Phillippes Purchasers Pattern (1676) 1 The letting and taking of Leases.

1725 ‘H. D.’ Life J. Wilde 46 The Tenant prefers a cross Bill, obliging him to answer to several Points, particularly the Letting the House to him.

1790 E. Burke Refl. Revol. in France 203 Where the letting of their land was by rent [etc.] .

1833 H. Martineau Cinnamon & Pearls ii. 20 The letting of the Pearl banks had been accomplished.

1885 Act 48 & 49 Victoria c. 77 §7 If any land is comprised in a lease for..lives, or in a letting for a term of years.

1938 Times 2 May 24/6 Old pasture is an important factor in the letting of farms.

1983 A. Murie Housing Inequality & Deprivation vii. 230 Owners of more than one dwelling accumulating wealth through rising asset values and perhaps an income from letting.

1999 M. Shoard Right to Roam viii. 344 Lettings from prime fishing sites bring in large sums of money.

Phrases

letting go n. the relaxing or relinquishment of a person's hold on someone or something.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > relinquishing > [noun] > parting with or letting go

departing with1529

letting go1565

loose1615

parting1665

1565 J. Hall Hist. Expost. in tr. Lanfranc Most Excellent Woorke Chirurg. sig. Ccc.iii^v There folowed an inuoluntary emission or lettyng goe of vrine.

1607 G. Markham Cavelarice vi. 46 The first letting goe of your hanke.

1752 J. Gill Pract. Improvem. Watchman's Answer 28 There would be a letting go, and departing from the doctrines of the reformation.

1861 R. C. Trench Comm. Epist. 7 Churches Asia 78 Such a letting go of first love.

1920 H. C. Sheppard Psychology v. 81 This mental ‘letting go’ of everything..is of equal importance to the physical relaxation.

1991 P. Lovesey Last Detective (2004) v. v. 278 The letting go was briefly delayed by a mental picture of John Wigful cock-a-hoop.

Compounds

C1. With adverbs, in compound nouns of action corresponding to adverbial combinations of let (see let v.¹).

letting out n. (a) the action or an act of leasing something to a person; (b) the action or an act of releasing something; a pouring forth.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming out > letting or sending out > [noun] > letting out

letting outa1475

out-letting1555

outlet1640

a1475 in A. Clark Eng. Reg. Godstow Nunnery (1905) i. 150 (MED) Hit scholde be lawfull to þe fore-sayde Abbesse & Couente or to þere successoures to entre agayne in the sayde tenement..this letyng owte or dimission not-wythstandyng.

1525 tr. H. von Brunschwig Noble Experyence Vertuous Handy Warke Surg. xxii. sig. f.i^v You shall take away the payne and also the venyme by boxynge or lettynge out of wyn de.

1568 E. Dering Sparing Restraint i. 7 The letting out of the Uineyard to others.

1632 T. Hooker Soules Prepar. for Christ 129 There is now a passage for the letting out of all these corruptions.

1669 R. Fleming Fulfilling Script. 124 Too soon letting out of a sore, may cause it undercot, and gather new matter.

1701 B. Keach Gospel Myst. Unveil'd II. iii. iv. 16/1 Nothing could Satisfy Divine Justice, for Man's Offence..but the letting out of the precious Blood of his own Son.

1780 London Mag. Nov. 521/2 The taking-up and letting-out of the ropes.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Freighting, a letting out of vessels on freight or hire.

1883 A. I. Ritchie Bk. of Sibyls ii. 83 He..reorganized the letting out of the estate.

1958 S. Plath Jrnl. (2000) 348 The holler and hullaballoo of highschool letting out.

2000 H. Anderson South Mountain Road ii. 31 A sense of relief, a letting out of my breath.

letting down n.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > disappointment > [noun] > failure to support

letting down1483

letdown1768

the mind > emotion > humility > humiliation > [noun]

bismerc893

humiliationc1386

lowinga1398

dejectionc1450

avale?a1513

depression?1531

embasing1551

abasement1561

debasement1593

mortification1598

exinanitiona1631

demissiona1638

dejectment1656

depressure1656

dismounting1677

letting down1827

take-down1858

snubbing1861

scoring1893

deflation1958

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > [noun] > carrying out specific processes > altering

decaudation1927

letting down1966

1483 tr. Adam of Eynsham Reuelation lv The lyftyngys vppe of the crosse & the lettyngys done ageyne.

1553 J. Brooks Serm. Notable Paules Crosse sig. H.viii Their letting downe of hospitalitie.

1670 J. Bryan Dwelling with God viii. 403 The dreadful danger that good Christians are in..through the letting down of their spiritual watch.

1719 J. Chamberlayne tr. B. Nieuwentyt Relig. Philosopher II. xxii. 663 Every lifting up and letting down of the Sucker of the Pump.

1827 H. Coleridge in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 40/2 Some wiseacres..would think it a woful letting-down.

1958 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 990/1 Letting down, the reduction of altitude from cruising height to that required for the approach to landing.

1966 J. Godden & R. Godden Two under Indian Sun iii. 68 The letting down of hems or takings in, as dresses were handed down.

1993 T. Parker May Lord in His Mercy be Kind to Belfast (1994) ix. 129 A terrible letting-down of Northern Ireland people.

letting forth n.

ΚΠ

1577 W. Gace tr. N. Hemmingsen Learned Comm. Epist. Iames the Apostle v. 49 The kindes of ciuil bargaynes, of which we haue determined in this place to speake are these: 1. Exchange of thinges... 5. Letting forth and hyring.

1595 Problemes of Aristotle sig. A8 Leacherie is a letting forth of naturall humiditie & heate.

1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ iii. i. §16 Man is formed with a mouth..for receiving and letting forth of air.

1729 J. Wise Rulers 33 The beginning of Strife is as the letting forth of Waters.

1874 H. Bushnell Forgiveness & Law 59 Is it true that God must be gained or tempered transactionally..in order to the letting forth of grace upon his enemies?

1913 W. H. Ferris Afr. Abroad I. xii. 258 The sudden letting forth of energy.

1999 ‘C. J. Cherryh’ Fortress of Owls (2002) vii. 324 There was a general letting-forth of breath.

letting in n.

ΚΠ

1578 J. Banister Hist. Man i. f. 15^v The lettyng in of liquid humor.

1665 T. Manley tr. H. Grotius De Rebus Belgicis 149 The letting in of the Waters, and other things..were hindred.

1761 H. Brooke Tryal Rom. Catholics 233 The Letting in of Truth upon the Soul.

1829 Lady's Mag. Dec. 667/1 A bow formed..by a letting-in of black tulle.

1934 Pop. Sci. Monthly May 10/3 The letting in of ultra-violet rays by a rocket plane.

2003 Times (Nexis) 12 May 16 Would not such a letting in of light and air send out an important message?

letting off n.

ΚΠ

1647 J. Trapp Comm. Evangelists & Acts (Matt. xii. 5) 362 The letting off of a harquebuze or pistollet.

1724 Dublin Gaz. 28 Oct. After Supper his Majesty saw the letting off of the finest Fire-works that have been made at Fontainebleau.

a1861 A. H. Clough Poems & Prose Remains (1869) II. 425 I..knew the letting-off of steam and rose.

1959 Times 7 Nov. 7/4 They should be invited to cooperate in keeping the party clean and so ensuring that the letting off of fireworks is kept within bounds.

2009 Chicago Sun Times (Nexis) 23 Apr. 21 The humor is simply a letting off of an overabundance of delicious gases.

C2. General attributive (in sense 2).

a. In singular, as letting agency, letting agent, letting value, etc.

ΚΠ

1788 Lett. & Papers Agric. (Bath & West of Eng. Soc.) IV. 108 The letting value of land should be compared with the letting value of tithes.

1848 Legal Observer 12 Feb. 378/2 Letting agreement.—In an action for rent payable under an agreement with trustees of turnpike roads, demising tolls and toll-houses, the declaration need not show that the forms required..were observed in the letting.

1870 Echo 16 Feb. Mr. Gladstone caused a general laugh by asking, ‘What is an improvement?’..the definition he gave seemed to meet with general approval—that it shall add to the letting value of the land.

1880 Birmingham Daily Post 6 Jan. 4/6 Your simplest plan is to look through the list of apartments to let and letting agencies in the Times or Telegraph.

1932 Times 1 Dec. 25/7 (advt.) Apply:—Letting Manager, Victoria Coach Station.

1952 Incorporated Statistician 3 10 But if the beginning of housing policy is to be found in the national capital development programme, its end is less remote from humanity, in the local authority letting office.

1992 R. Frame Walking my Mistress in Deauville (1993) vi. 86 Finally I went to the letting agency and arranged a further six weeks' extension of the lease.

2002 Which? Tax Saving Guide 36/1 As she's so far away, Philippa has opted to manage the property through a letting agent rather than do it herself.

b. With first element in plural form.

ΚΠ

1946 Stage Guide (rev. ed.) 61/2 Applications for hire of any of the above to Lettings Manager, Borough Treasurer's Dept.

1970 Times 23 July 3/6 There is inevitable ill-feeling and confusion among tenants about differences in rents, rebates, lettings policy, repairs and conditions of tenancy.

1985 Economist 15 June 17/1 By driving such property on to the lettings market, urban rents could well have fallen.

1992 City (Oxf. City Council) Spring 6/2 The proposal is to set up a local lettings agency in the city.

2002 Independent 25 May (Financial section) 7/2 Some lettings professionals are calling the phenomenon of rents that fail to cover buy-to-let mortgage payments the new negative equity.

2008 H. Evans Love of her Life xvi. 155 She didn't call the lettings agent.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	letting
释义	† lettingn.¹ Forms: see let v.² and -ing suffix¹; also Old English lettige (accusative singular, transmission error), Middle English lettyngynge (transmission error). Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: let v.², -ing suffix¹. Etymology: < let v.² + -ing suffix¹. Compare Middle Low German lettinge delay, hindrance, early modern German letzung injury (15th cent.; now superseded by the prefixed noun Verletzung ). Compare let n.¹ Obsolete. 1. The action of let v.² a. The action of causing obstruction; an obstacle, a hindrance. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > [noun] > action of lettingOE impeachingc1400 thwartingc1430 interruption1463 inhibition1621 obstructing1641 clogging1647 obstruction1656 thorteringa1693 interclusion1798 OE Rule St. Benet (Tiber.) (1888) lii. 87 Ne alius impedimentum patiatur : oðer lettincge þæt he na þolige. lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1101 Se cyng syddan scipa ut on sæ sende his broðer to dære & to lættinge. c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 36 (MED) Hwer se eauer þe gast wule, þe bodi is ananriht wiðute lettunge [a1250 Titus lettinge], for ne mei ham naþing aȝeines etstonden. a1250 Ureisun ure Louerde (Lamb.) in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 187 Þe bitternesse of mine sunnen attri is þe lettunge. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3204 Non man on hem letting dede. c1390 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 171 (MED) For þreo lettynges þat þer bene, A Mon mai not deeme rihtwislye: Þe furste lettyng..A þing þat is to fer from eiȝe..Schal lette his siht þauȝ hit be clere. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4914 For drightin dos vs na letting. 1486 Countess of Oxford in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 447 To the letting of his seid purpose. 1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) x. l. 489 And our he swam, for lattyng fand he nocht. 1502 tr. Ordynarye of Crysten Men (de Worde) i. i. sig. a.v ^v He may be in the waye of saluacyon yf he haue none other lettynge. 1592 B. Pheodorowich in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1600) I. 505 Your Queenes Maiesties merchants..shalbe at libertie without any hindering or letting. 1657 Divine Lover 299 The waye is..full of..theiues, and many other greate lettings. 1843 Christian Guardian Mar. 96 The eighth letting [to prayer] is, the increasing of sin. 1889 D. B. Ford Comm. Epist. Romans in A. Hovey Amer. Comm. New Test. i. 37/1 What the nature of the letting, or hindrance, was we are not told. b. The action of delaying or tarrying; a delay; a pause. Frequently in without (also but) letting: without delay; straightaway. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > [noun] lettingOE leta1175 marring1357 impediment1398 impeachment1432 unhelpc1449 interruption1463 impeach1511 hindrance1526 prevening1557 offence1578 cross1600 impedition1623 obstructing1641 impede1659 objectiona1667 bottleneck1886 dead wood1887 log-jam1890 the world > action or operation > easiness > [adverb] > without hindrance or encumberment freelyeOE wellOE freec1250 glidderly13.. without (also but) lettingc1330 oliver current1466 smootha1500 pronewise1585 currently1586 glib1594 glibly1607 clearly1612 swimminglya1640 smoothly1668 uninterrupted1677 unobstructedly1788 smack-smooth1802 sweetly1825 sweet1846 unimpededly1846 hitchlessly1910 OE Aldhelm Glosses (Brussels 1650) in L. Goossens Old Eng. Glosses of MS Brussels, Royal Libr. 1650 (1974) 486 Hęc morosa tricatio : dilatio, þeos ylfulle letting. lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Domitian A.viii) anno 995 Se arcebiscop þa butan ælcre lettinge mid eallan þ[an wi]sum mannum ferde an an to ðan cinge & cyddan him eall, eal swa we herbeforan tealdan. c1330 Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) l. 828 (MED) Hit was ido wiȝ outen letting. c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. vii. l. 7 (MED) ‘Þat weore a long lettynge [v.r. abydyng],’ quaþ a ladi in a skleir. c1400 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 425 Seynt Poule biddes men preye wiþouten lettynge. ?a1425 MS Hunterian 95 f. 182^v, in Middle Eng. Dict. at Letting(e Salte is cause of lettinge of mollificacioun in euerye place. 1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) ii. 12 Ye lord ye Bruce but mar letting Gert preuely bryng stedys twa. a1500 Walter of Henley's Husbandry (Sloane) (1890) 45 (MED) Ye knowe..þat þer erne in þe yere lij wekis & viij wekis for holydays and oþer letynges. 1729 S. Switzer Introd. Gen. Syst. Hydrostaticks & Hydraulicks II. iv. xxxii. 365 Frictio..imports..Letting, Hindrance, or Stoppage in Fluids, and in all Mechanick and Hydraulick Motion. 2. Wasting of time. ΘΚΠ the world > time > spending time > [noun] > wasting time lettingc1440 slacking1542 missinga1547 dalliance1567 slipping1571 time-wasting1670 c1440 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1895) I. 310 (MED) The ffirste es þat mane be in honeste werke with-owttene lettynge [a1425 Arun. losyng] of his tyme. a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. cxvii. f. liiii^v To shewe here the vayne, and dissymulyd sorowe that Fredegunde made for the Kynge It were but lettynge of tyme. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online June 2022). lettingn.² Brit. /ˈlɛtɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈlɛdɪŋ/ Forms: see let v.¹ and -ing suffix¹. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: let v.¹, -ing suffix¹. Etymology: < let v.¹ + -ing suffix¹. 1. The action of allowing movement or passage; the action of permitting or allowing to happen; an instance of this.Recorded earliest in bloodletting n. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > bloodletting > [noun] bloodleaseeOE bloodlettingOE lettingOE minutionc1386 vein bloodc1405 bleedingc1440 blooding1525 eventation?1543 the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > [noun] > letting fall shedding1362 lettingc1500 the world > movement > [noun] > allowing movement or passage of letting1690 society > authority > lack of subjection > permission > [noun] > action of permitting granting1340 allowinga1402 licensing1588 permitting1645 allowment1808 letting1839 OE Prohibition against Bloodletting in L. S. Chardonnens Anglo-Saxon Prognostics (2007) 281 And eallum criste[n]mannum on þa tid is blodlætincg forboden. ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 15 Þe vttere riwle..of ouwer werkes..& of blodletunge. 1445–6 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. Feb. 1445 §39. m. 6 For fyn, fee, suyte of prison, maynprise, letyng to baill. c1500 (?a1437) Kingis Quair (1939) xli Onely throu latting of myn eyen fall. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 239/1 Lettyng of blode, seignee. 1599 R. Allott Wits Theater Little World f. 39 The Indians burne themselues before they come to extreame age, terming it the letting of men loose. 1634 R. H. tr. Regim. Salerni 195 When the menstruosity keepeth due course..letting of bloud should not be done. 1690 J. Fairman Jrnl. in Mariner's Mirror (1972) 58 109 We stowd The small bour out of the way of him [sc. the sheet anchor] and Made all Ridy for Letting of him goe. 1715 J. Delacoste tr. H. Boerhaave Aphorisms 28 The Cure is performed, by letting of Blood. 1786 J. Gillies Hist. Anc. Greece II. xxiv. 439 The letting loose of the Delphic treasures had diffused near a million sterling over Greece. 1839 P. J. Bailey Festus 238 The good we do is of His own good will,—The ill, of His own letting. 1856 Mechanics' Mag. 26 Apr. 399/2 The letting of the cross sleepers into the longitudinal sleepers. 1909 Anat. Rec. Jan. 49 The thorough mixing of the ingredients and the letting of the solution stand for 12 to 24 hours before use. 1984 T. C. Schelling Choice & Consequence vi. 154 The difference between letting and helping will often depend just on what the norm is. 2001 R. French Canonical Med. v. 224 A general letting of blood..sent the matter back to where it had come from. 2. The action of leasing something to or from a person; an instance of this. Cf. letting out n. (a) at Compounds 1a.Not usual in North America. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > selling > hiring or letting out > [noun] hiringc1400 letting1425 lettage1530 fee-farming1549 renting1552 location1581 loan1601 rental1800 let1839 letment- 1425 Indenture of Agreem. in Paston Lett. & Papers (2005) III. 3 Þe seid William Joye..shal..well and sufficiauntly to his profyt and profyt of þe seid William Paston, of þe dimise and letyng of þe seid William Paston, ocupie, eryn, telyn, sedyn, sowen and harwyn in seisonable tyme al þe arable londes of þe seid William Paston in Paston and Edyngthorp. 1446 in C. Innes Registrum Episcopatus Brechinensis (1856) I. 109 Before ony settyn or to mail lattyn of the said tak. c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 279 The Holi Scripture..licencid preestis..forto haue..housis, and pasturis; namelich so manye as thei hem silf, withoute into ferme to othere men leting, hadden nede or profit for to haue. 1538 in F. J. Furnivall Gild of St. Mary, Lichfield (1920) 8 All men which haue or hold ony tenement of the lettyng of the master and the wardens. 1596 W. Perkins Disc. Conscience iii. 103 By this dedication we may well vnderstand..the letting of the house, or the prouiding of a tenant. 1626 Sir J. Oglander Mem. (1888) 4 In Qvene Elizabeth's tyme he came in agayne, and for his honor had ye lettinge and gettinge of ye Quene's lands. 1656 H. Phillippes Purchasers Pattern (1676) 1 The letting and taking of Leases. 1725 ‘H. D.’ Life J. Wilde 46 The Tenant prefers a cross Bill, obliging him to answer to several Points, particularly the Letting the House to him. 1790 E. Burke Refl. Revol. in France 203 Where the letting of their land was by rent [etc.] . View more context for this quotation 1833 H. Martineau Cinnamon & Pearls ii. 20 The letting of the Pearl banks had been accomplished. 1885 Act 48 & 49 Victoria c. 77 §7 If any land is comprised in a lease for..lives, or in a letting for a term of years. 1938 Times 2 May 24/6 Old pasture is an important factor in the letting of farms. 1983 A. Murie Housing Inequality & Deprivation vii. 230 Owners of more than one dwelling accumulating wealth through rising asset values and perhaps an income from letting. 1999 M. Shoard Right to Roam viii. 344 Lettings from prime fishing sites bring in large sums of money. Phrases letting go n. the relaxing or relinquishment of a person's hold on someone or something. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > relinquishing > [noun] > parting with or letting go departing with1529 letting go1565 loose1615 parting1665 1565 J. Hall Hist. Expost. in tr. Lanfranc Most Excellent Woorke Chirurg. sig. Ccc.iii^v There folowed an inuoluntary emission or lettyng goe of vrine. 1607 G. Markham Cavelarice vi. 46 The first letting goe of your hanke. 1752 J. Gill Pract. Improvem. Watchman's Answer 28 There would be a letting go, and departing from the doctrines of the reformation. 1861 R. C. Trench Comm. Epist. 7 Churches Asia 78 Such a letting go of first love. 1920 H. C. Sheppard Psychology v. 81 This mental ‘letting go’ of everything..is of equal importance to the physical relaxation. 1991 P. Lovesey Last Detective (2004) v. v. 278 The letting go was briefly delayed by a mental picture of John Wigful cock-a-hoop. Compounds C1. With adverbs, in compound nouns of action corresponding to adverbial combinations of let (see let v.¹). a. letting out n. (a) the action or an act of leasing something to a person; (b) the action or an act of releasing something; a pouring forth. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming out > letting or sending out > [noun] > letting out letting outa1475 out-letting1555 outlet1640 a1475 in A. Clark Eng. Reg. Godstow Nunnery (1905) i. 150 (MED) Hit scholde be lawfull to þe fore-sayde Abbesse & Couente or to þere successoures to entre agayne in the sayde tenement..this letyng owte or dimission not-wythstandyng. 1525 tr. H. von Brunschwig Noble Experyence Vertuous Handy Warke Surg. xxii. sig. f.i^v You shall take away the payne and also the venyme by boxynge or lettynge out of wyn de. 1568 E. Dering Sparing Restraint i. 7 The letting out of the Uineyard to others. 1632 T. Hooker Soules Prepar. for Christ 129 There is now a passage for the letting out of all these corruptions. 1669 R. Fleming Fulfilling Script. 124 Too soon letting out of a sore, may cause it undercot, and gather new matter. 1701 B. Keach Gospel Myst. Unveil'd II. iii. iv. 16/1 Nothing could Satisfy Divine Justice, for Man's Offence..but the letting out of the precious Blood of his own Son. 1780 London Mag. Nov. 521/2 The taking-up and letting-out of the ropes. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Freighting, a letting out of vessels on freight or hire. 1883 A. I. Ritchie Bk. of Sibyls ii. 83 He..reorganized the letting out of the estate. 1958 S. Plath Jrnl. (2000) 348 The holler and hullaballoo of highschool letting out. 2000 H. Anderson South Mountain Road ii. 31 A sense of relief, a letting out of my breath. b. letting down n. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > disappointment > [noun] > failure to support letting down1483 letdown1768 the mind > emotion > humility > humiliation > [noun] bismerc893 humiliationc1386 lowinga1398 dejectionc1450 avale?a1513 depression?1531 embasing1551 abasement1561 debasement1593 mortification1598 exinanitiona1631 demissiona1638 dejectment1656 depressure1656 dismounting1677 letting down1827 take-down1858 snubbing1861 scoring1893 deflation1958 the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > [noun] > carrying out specific processes > altering decaudation1927 letting down1966 1483 tr. Adam of Eynsham Reuelation lv The lyftyngys vppe of the crosse & the lettyngys done ageyne. 1553 J. Brooks Serm. Notable Paules Crosse sig. H.viii Their letting downe of hospitalitie. 1670 J. Bryan Dwelling with God viii. 403 The dreadful danger that good Christians are in..through the letting down of their spiritual watch. 1719 J. Chamberlayne tr. B. Nieuwentyt Relig. Philosopher II. xxii. 663 Every lifting up and letting down of the Sucker of the Pump. 1827 H. Coleridge in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 40/2 Some wiseacres..would think it a woful letting-down. 1958 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 990/1 Letting down, the reduction of altitude from cruising height to that required for the approach to landing. 1966 J. Godden & R. Godden Two under Indian Sun iii. 68 The letting down of hems or takings in, as dresses were handed down. 1993 T. Parker May Lord in His Mercy be Kind to Belfast (1994) ix. 129 A terrible letting-down of Northern Ireland people. letting forth n. ΚΠ 1577 W. Gace tr. N. Hemmingsen Learned Comm. Epist. Iames the Apostle v. 49 The kindes of ciuil bargaynes, of which we haue determined in this place to speake are these: 1. Exchange of thinges... 5. Letting forth and hyring. 1595 Problemes of Aristotle sig. A8 Leacherie is a letting forth of naturall humiditie & heate. 1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ iii. i. §16 Man is formed with a mouth..for receiving and letting forth of air. 1729 J. Wise Rulers 33 The beginning of Strife is as the letting forth of Waters. 1874 H. Bushnell Forgiveness & Law 59 Is it true that God must be gained or tempered transactionally..in order to the letting forth of grace upon his enemies? 1913 W. H. Ferris Afr. Abroad I. xii. 258 The sudden letting forth of energy. 1999 ‘C. J. Cherryh’ Fortress of Owls (2002) vii. 324 There was a general letting-forth of breath. letting in n. ΚΠ 1578 J. Banister Hist. Man i. f. 15^v The lettyng in of liquid humor. 1665 T. Manley tr. H. Grotius De Rebus Belgicis 149 The letting in of the Waters, and other things..were hindred. 1761 H. Brooke Tryal Rom. Catholics 233 The Letting in of Truth upon the Soul. 1829 Lady's Mag. Dec. 667/1 A bow formed..by a letting-in of black tulle. 1934 Pop. Sci. Monthly May 10/3 The letting in of ultra-violet rays by a rocket plane. 2003 Times (Nexis) 12 May 16 Would not such a letting in of light and air send out an important message? letting off n. ΚΠ 1647 J. Trapp Comm. Evangelists & Acts (Matt. xii. 5) 362 The letting off of a harquebuze or pistollet. 1724 Dublin Gaz. 28 Oct. After Supper his Majesty saw the letting off of the finest Fire-works that have been made at Fontainebleau. a1861 A. H. Clough Poems & Prose Remains (1869) II. 425 I..knew the letting-off of steam and rose. 1959 Times 7 Nov. 7/4 They should be invited to cooperate in keeping the party clean and so ensuring that the letting off of fireworks is kept within bounds. 2009 Chicago Sun Times (Nexis) 23 Apr. 21 The humor is simply a letting off of an overabundance of delicious gases. C2. General attributive (in sense 2). a. In singular, as letting agency, letting agent, letting value, etc. ΚΠ 1788 Lett. & Papers Agric. (Bath & West of Eng. Soc.) IV. 108 The letting value of land should be compared with the letting value of tithes. 1848 Legal Observer 12 Feb. 378/2 Letting agreement.—In an action for rent payable under an agreement with trustees of turnpike roads, demising tolls and toll-houses, the declaration need not show that the forms required..were observed in the letting. 1870 Echo 16 Feb. Mr. Gladstone caused a general laugh by asking, ‘What is an improvement?’..the definition he gave seemed to meet with general approval—that it shall add to the letting value of the land. 1880 Birmingham Daily Post 6 Jan. 4/6 Your simplest plan is to look through the list of apartments to let and letting agencies in the Times or Telegraph. 1932 Times 1 Dec. 25/7 (advt.) Apply:—Letting Manager, Victoria Coach Station. 1952 Incorporated Statistician 3 10 But if the beginning of housing policy is to be found in the national capital development programme, its end is less remote from humanity, in the local authority letting office. 1992 R. Frame Walking my Mistress in Deauville (1993) vi. 86 Finally I went to the letting agency and arranged a further six weeks' extension of the lease. 2002 Which? Tax Saving Guide 36/1 As she's so far away, Philippa has opted to manage the property through a letting agent rather than do it herself. b. With first element in plural form. ΚΠ 1946 Stage Guide (rev. ed.) 61/2 Applications for hire of any of the above to Lettings Manager, Borough Treasurer's Dept. 1970 Times 23 July 3/6 There is inevitable ill-feeling and confusion among tenants about differences in rents, rebates, lettings policy, repairs and conditions of tenancy. 1985 Economist 15 June 17/1 By driving such property on to the lettings market, urban rents could well have fallen. 1992 City (Oxf. City Council) Spring 6/2 The proposal is to set up a local lettings agency in the city. 2002 Independent 25 May (Financial section) 7/2 Some lettings professionals are calling the phenomenon of rents that fail to cover buy-to-let mortgage payments the new negative equity. 2008 H. Evans Love of her Life xvi. 155 She didn't call the lettings agent. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online June 2022). † lettingadj. Forms: see let v.² and -ing suffix². Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: let v.², -ing suffix². Etymology: < let v.² + -ing suffix². Compare earlier letting n.¹ Obsolete. That lets or hinders; hindering.In quot. 1495: that is a waste of time. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > [adjective] hindering1390 catching?a1430 lettingc1430 lumpering1519 thorter1533 impedient1596 thortersome1606 obstructive1611 obstructing1649 impeditive1651 impeding1717 obstruent1749 hindersome1881 obstructionary1881 hindranceful1889 inhibitive1899 counterproductive1959 c1430 N. Love Mirror Blessed Life (Brasenose e.9) (1908) 202 (MED) Than he caste of his ouerclothes that weren peraunter cumbrose and lettynge. 1495 Trevisa's Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (de Worde) xvii. xx. sig. Oij^v/1 Whiche were ouer noyouse & gretly lettynge of tyme to reherse theym here al arowe. a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 26 Blisfull is he þat may putte awey euery letting distraccion. 1627 M. Drayton Elegies in Battaile Agincourt 207 As though the neatnesse of the English pace, Should tell the letting Lattine that it came But slowly after, as though stiffe and lame. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < n.¹OEn.²OEadj.c1430
随便看	wave number wave of contraction wave of stimulation wave one's freak flag high wave one's way wave oneself wave packet wave pattern wave period wave picture wave resistance wave riding wave screen wave theory wave trap wave vector wave velocity wave winding wave work wave-action wave-beat wave-beaten wave-blade wave-bladed wave-bowered

† lettingn.1

lettingn.2

Phrases

Compounds

† lettingadj.

† lettingn.¹

lettingn.²