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[let-er-ing] /ˈlɛt ər ɪŋ/

noun
1.
the act or process of inscribing with or making .
2.
the in an inscription; calligraphy.
[let-er] /ˈlɛt ər/
noun
1.
a written or printed communication addressed to a person or organization and usually transmitted by mail.
2.
a symbol or character that is conventionally used in writing and printing to represent a speech sound and that is part of an alphabet.
3.
a piece of printing type bearing such a symbol or character.
4.
a particular style of type.
5.
such types collectively.
6.
Often, letters. a formal document granting a right or privilege.
7.
actual terms or wording; literal meaning, as distinct from implied meaning or intent (opposed to ):
the letter of the law.
8.
letters, (used with a singular or plural verb)

9.
an emblem consisting of the initial or monogram of a school, awarded to a student for extracurricular activity, especially in athletics.
verb (used with object)
10.
to mark or write with letters; inscribe.
verb (used without object)
11.
to earn a letter in an interscholastic or intercollegiate activity, especially a sport:
He lettered in track at Harvard.
Idioms
12.
to the letter, to the last particular; precisely:
His orders were carried out to the letter.
/ˈlɛtərɪŋ/
noun
1.
the act, art, or technique of inscribing letters on to something
2.
the letters so inscribed
/ˈlɛtə/
noun
1.
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
2.
a written or printed communication addressed to a person, company, etc, usually sent by post in an envelope related adjective epistolary
3.
the letter, the strict legalistic or pedantic interpretation of the meaning of an agreement, document, etc; exact wording as distinct from actual intention (esp in the phrase the letter of the law) Compare spirit1 (sense 10)
4.
(printing, archaic) a style of typeface: a fancy letter
5.
to the letter

verb
6.
to write or mark letters on (a sign, etc), esp by hand
7.
(transitive) to set down or print using letters
n.

1640s, “act of writing;” 1811 as “act of putting letters on something,” verbal noun from letter (v.).
n.

c.1200, “graphic symbol, alphabetic sign, written character,” from Old French letre (10c., Modern French lettre) “character, letter; missive, note,” in plural, “literature, writing, learning,” from Latin littera (also litera) “letter of the alphabet,” of uncertain origin, perhaps via Etruscan from Greek diphthera “tablet,” with change of d- to l- as in lachrymose. In this sense it replaced Old English bocstæf, literally “book staff” (cf. German Buchstabe “letter, character,” from Old High German buohstab, from Proto-Germanic *bok-staba-m).

Latin littera also meant “a writing, document, record,” and in plural litteræ “a letter, epistle,” a sense first attested in English early 13c., replacing Old English ærendgewrit, literally “errand-writing.” The Latin plural also meant “literature, books,” and figuratively “learning, liberal education, schooling” (see letters). School letter in sports, attested by 1908, were said to have been first awarded by University of Chicago football coach Amos Alonzo Stagg. Expression to the letter “precisely” is from 1520s (earlier as after the letter). Letter-perfect is from 1845, originally in theater jargon, in reference to an actor knowing the lines exactly. Letter-press, in reference to matter printed from relief surfaces, is from 1840.

“one who lets” in any sense, c.1400, agent noun from let (v.).
v.

“to write in letters,” 1660s, from letter (n.1). Earlier it meant “to instruct” (mid-15c.). Related: Lettered; lettering.

Related Terms

dead horse, french letter, poison-pen letter, red-letter day

in Rom. 2:27, 29 means the outward form. The “oldness of the letter” (7:6) is a phrase which denotes the old way of literal outward obedience to the law as a system of mere external rules of conduct. In 2 Cor. 3:6, “the letter” means the Mosaic law as a written law. (See WRITING.)

In addition to the idiom beginning with
letter