lettˈer noun

A person who lets, esp on hire

lettˈing noun

letˈ-alone noun (Shakespeare)

Absence of restraint, freedom

adjective

1. Refraining from interference
2. Leaving things to themselves

letˈ-down noun

1. An act or occasion of letting down
2. A disappointment

letˈ-off noun

1. An act or occasion of letting off
2. A festivity
3. An outlet
4. (in games) a failure to take advantage of an opportunity

letˈ-out noun

A chance to escape or avoid keeping an agreement, contract, etc

lettˈer-gaeˈ noun (Scot)

Someone who lets go, a precentor

letting down noun (aeronautics)

The reduction of altitude from cruising height to that required for the approach to landing

letˈ-up noun

1. End or ceasing
2. Abatement
3. Respite or relief

let alone

1. Not to mention, much less
2. To refrain from interference with
3. (imperative) trust (archaic)

let be (dialect let-a-be)

1. To leave undisturbed
2. Not to mention, to say nothing of (Scot)

let blood

To cause to bleed

let down

1. To allow to fall
2. To lower
3. To make longer
4. To allow air to escape from
5. To leave in the lurch, fail to back up when needed, betray trust, disappoint

let drive

1. To aim a blow
2. To discharge a missile

let fall

1. To drop
2. To mention or hint

let fly

1. To fling, discharge, shoot
2. To deliver a blow (also figurative)

let go

1. To cease holding
2. To finish the employment of
3. To slacken (nautical)

let in

1. To allow to enter
2. To take in or swindle (archaic)
3. (with for) to involve in or betray into anything unpleasant or troublesome
4. To insert
5. To leak inwards

let in on (informal)

To allow to take part in

let into

1. To set into the surface of
2. To admit to the knowledge of
3. To throw into one with

let loose

1. To set free
2. To let go of restraint, to indulge in unrestrained talk or conduct

let off

1. To allow to go free or without exacting all
2. To fire off, discharge
3. To break wind from the anus (informal)

let on (informal)

1. To allow to be believed, to pretend
2. To disclose awareness
3. To reveal, divulge

let oneself go (informal)

1. To allow one's appearance, lifestyle, etc to deteriorate
2. To act without restraint

let out

1. To allow to go free, or to become known
2. To emit
3. To widen, slacken, enlarge
4. To put out to hire
5. To leak outwards
6. To strike out or kick out (archaic)

let someone know

To inform someone

let up (informal)

1. To become less
2. To abate

let up on (informal)

1. To cease to have to do with
2. To treat less harshly

let well alone

To let things remain as they are from fear of making them worse

to let

Available for hire

let² /let/

transitive verb (pat and pap lettˈed or let) (archaic)

1. To hinder
2. To prevent

adjective (archaic)

Obstructed

noun

1. Obstruction by the net, or other ground for cancelling a service (tennis, etc)
2. A service affected in such a way
3. Hindrance, obstruction (archaic)
4. Delay (archaic)

lettˈer noun

letter¹ /letˈər/

noun

1. A conventional mark primarily used to express a sound of speech
2. Often loosely applied to the sound itself
3. A written or printed message signed and sent, usu by post, to an addressee
4. Literal meaning
5. Printing type
6. (in pl) learning, literary culture
7. An emblem, usu a monogram, awarded to a student for achievement in an extracurricular activity, esp in sport (US)

transitive verb

1. To stamp letters upon
2. To mark with a letter or letters

intransitive verb (US)

To earn a letter for achievement

lettˈered adjective

1. Marked with letters
2. Educated
3. Knowledgeable in literature
4. Literary

lettˈerer noun

lettˈering noun

1. The act of impressing or marking with letters
2. The letters impressed or marked
3. Their style or mode of formation

lettˈerless adjective

1. Without letters
2. Illiterate

lettˈer-board noun

A board on which material in type is placed for keeping or convenience in handling

letter bomb noun

A device inside an envelope which explodes when the envelope is opened

lettˈerbox noun

1. A box or slot for receiving mail
2. A box for posting mail

adjective (cinematography)

Of a film shown on television or video, etc, preserving the original widescreen cinematic format, not cut for a television screen

transitive verb

To format (a film) in this way

lettˈerboxed adjective

lettˈerboxing noun

lettˈer-card noun

A card folded and gummed like a letter, with a perforated margin for opening

lettˈer-carrier noun

1. A postman
2. Mail-carrier

lettˈer-clip noun

A device for gripping letters or papers to keep them together

lettˈer-founder noun

Someone who casts type

lettˈerhead noun

1. A printed heading on notepaper, etc
2. A piece of notepaper with such a heading (also lettˈer-heading)

letter of comfort noun (law)

A letter sent by a person in authority to provide assurances about intended actions

letter of credit noun

A letter authorizing credit or cash to a certain sum to be given to the bearer

letter of indication noun

A banker's letter requesting foreign bankers to accept the bearer's circular notes

letter-of-marque see under marque²

letter-perˈfect adjective

(of an actor, etc) having the words of the part committed accurately to memory, word-perfect

lettˈerpress noun

1. A method of printing in which ink on raised surfaces is pressed onto paper
2. Matter printed in this way
3. Printed text as opposed to illustrations
4. A copying-press

letter quality noun

Output from a printer where the printing is acceptable for distribution outside an organization

lettˈer-quality adjective

lettˈerset noun

A method of printing in which ink is transferred from a letterpress plate to paper by means of a rubber-covered cylinder

letters of administration see under administer

letters of credence or letters credential plural noun

A diplomat's formal document accrediting him or her to a foreign government

letters patent plural noun

A document conferring a patent or privilege, so called because written on open sheets of parchment

letters requisitory or letters rogatory plural noun

A legal instrument by which a court of one country asks that of another to take a certain evidence on its behalf

lettˈer-stamp noun

1. An instrument for cancelling postage-stamps
2. A stamp for imprinting dates, etc

lettˈer-weight noun

A paperweight

lettˈer-wood noun

Leopard-wood, a S American tree of the breadnut genus, with dark-brown mottled heartwood

lettˈer-writer noun

1. Someone who writes letters, esp for payment
2. A book of forms for imitation in writing letters

the letter of the law

The literal interpretation of the law

to the letter

Exactly, in every detail