dead letter

noun

a law, ordinance, etc., that has lost its force but has not been formally repealed or abolished.

a letter that cannot reach the addressee or be returned to the sender, usually because of incorrect address, and that is sent to and handled in a special division or department (dead-letter office ) of a general post office.

Origin of dead letter

First recorded in 1570–80

OTHER WORDS FROM dead letter

dead-letter, adjective

Words nearby dead letter

dead in one's tracks, dead in the water, dead key, dead languages, dead leg, dead letter, dead letter box, dead lift, deadlight, deadline, dead load

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for dead letter

System, punctuality, industry, belong to the Dead-letter Office.
Harper's Young People, January 13, 1880|Various
Naturally the decree for the surrender of weapons remained a dead-letter.
A history of China., [3d ed. rev. and enl.]|Wolfram Eberhard
It embraces, also, all the operations of the dead-letter office, and the accounts connected therewith.
Foot-prints of a letter carrier|James Rees
In a newspaper which reached the Dead-letter Office were found four sovereigns, and in another a gold locket.
The Royal Mail|James Wilson Hyde

Everything in the world which must be felt with a glow in the breast, in order to be understood, was to him dead-letter.
Emerson and Other Essays|John Jay Chapman

British Dictionary definitions for dead letter

dead letter

noun

a letter that cannot be delivered or returned because it lacks adequate directions

a law or ordinance that is no longer enforced but has not been formally repealed

informal anything considered no longer worthy of consideration

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with dead letter

dead letter

An unclaimed or undelivered letter that is eventually destroyed or returned to the sender. For example, She moved without leaving a forwarding address, so her mail ended up in the dead letter office. [c. 1700]

A statute or directive that is still valid but in practice is not enforced. For example, The blue laws here are a dead letter; all the stores open on Sundays and holidays. [Second half of 1600s]

单词	dead letter
释义	dead letter noun a law, ordinance, etc., that has lost its force but has not been formally repealed or abolished. a letter that cannot reach the addressee or be returned to the sender, usually because of incorrect address, and that is sent to and handled in a special division or department (dead-letter office ) of a general post office. Origin of dead letter First recorded in 1570–80 OTHER WORDS FROM dead letter dead-letter, adjective Words nearby dead letter dead in one's tracks, dead in the water, dead key, dead languages, dead leg, dead letter, dead letter box, dead lift, deadlight, deadline, dead load Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for dead letter System, punctuality, industry, belong to the Dead-letter Office. Harper's Young People, January 13, 1880\|Various Naturally the decree for the surrender of weapons remained a dead-letter. A history of China., [3d ed. rev. and enl.]\|Wolfram Eberhard It embraces, also, all the operations of the dead-letter office, and the accounts connected therewith. Foot-prints of a letter carrier\|James Rees In a newspaper which reached the Dead-letter Office were found four sovereigns, and in another a gold locket. The Royal Mail\|James Wilson Hyde Everything in the world which must be felt with a glow in the breast, in order to be understood, was to him dead-letter. Emerson and Other Essays\|John Jay Chapman British Dictionary definitions for dead letter dead letter noun a letter that cannot be delivered or returned because it lacks adequate directions a law or ordinance that is no longer enforced but has not been formally repealed informal anything considered no longer worthy of consideration Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Idioms and Phrases with dead letter dead letter 1 An unclaimed or undelivered letter that is eventually destroyed or returned to the sender. For example, She moved without leaving a forwarding address, so her mail ended up in the dead letter office. [c. 1700] 2 A statute or directive that is still valid but in practice is not enforced. For example, The blue laws here are a dead letter; all the stores open on Sundays and holidays. [Second half of 1600s] The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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