【letter】在多语言下的意思、翻译、词源、用法、例句

英语(English)

发音(Pronunciation)

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛtə(ɹ)/

  • Audio (RP)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛtɚ/, /-ɾɚ/

  • Audio (GA)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈletə(ɹ)/, /-ɾə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -ɛtə, -ɛtə(r), -ɛtə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: let‧ter

词源1(Etymology 1)

From Middle English letter, lettre, from Old French letre, from Latin littera (“letter of the alphabet"; in plural, "epistle”), from Etruscan, from Ancient Greek διφθέρᾱ (diphthérā, “tablet”). 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”). Doublet of diphtheria.

名词(Noun)

letter (plural letters)

1. A symbol in an alphabet.

   There are twenty-six letters in the English alphabet.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible,[…] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker,[…], OCLC 964384981, Luke 23:38:

     And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew.

2. A written or printed communication, generally longer and more formal than a note.

   I wrote a letter to my sister about my life.

   • 1692, William Walsh, “Preface”, in Letters and Poems, Amorous and Gallant:

     The style of letters ought to be free, easy, and natural.

   • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest‎^[1]:

     He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement.

   • 1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part I, London: Collins, →ISBN:

     An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing (heavily crossed ‘to save notepaper’) and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’.

3. The literal meaning of something, as distinguished from its intended and remoter meaning (often contrasted with the spirit).
   • 1650, Jeremy Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living:

     We must observe the letter of the law, without doing violence to the reason of the law and the intention of the lawgiver.

   • 1847, Alfred Tennyson, The Princess: A Medley, London: Edward Moxon,[…], OCLC 2024748, (please specify the page number, or |part=prologue, I to VII, or conclusion):

     I broke the letter of it to keep the sense.

   • 2009 February 23, “Euro MP expenses 'can reach £1m'”, in BBC‎^[2]:

     Some MEPs from some countries may have pocketed £2m more than I have by observing the letter but not the spirit of the rules.

4. (plural) Literature.

   Benjamin Franklin was multiskilled – a scientist, politician and a man of letters.

5. (law) A division unit of a piece of law marked by a letter of the alphabet.

   Letter (b) constitutes an exception to this provision.

6. (US, uncountable) A size of paper, 8½ in × 11 in (215.9 mm × 279.4 mm, US paper sizes rounded to the nearest 5 mm).
7. (Canada, uncountable) A size of paper, 215 mm × 280 mm.
8. (US, scholastic) Clipping of varsity letter.
9. (printing, dated) A single type; type, collectively; a style of type.
   • 1644 February 8, John Evelyn, Diary:

     Under these buildings […] was the king's printing house, and that famous letter so much esteemed.

同义词(Synonyms)

• (written character/alphabetic symbol): bookstaff/bookstave

下义词(Hyponyms)

• epistle
• missive

衍生词(Derived terms)

关联词(Related terms)

翻译(Translations)

动词(Verb)

letter (third-person singular simple present letters, present participle lettering, simple past and past participle lettered)

1. (transitive) To print, inscribe, or paint letters on something.
2. (intransitive, US, scholastic) To earn a varsity letter (award).

翻译(Translations)

词源2(Etymology 2)

let +‎ -er.

名词(Noun)

letter (plural letters)

1. One who lets, or lets out.

   the letter of a room

   a blood-letter

2. (archaic) One who retards or hinders.

翻译(Translations)

查看更多(Further reading)

• letter on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• letter (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• letter in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911.
• letter in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

变位词(Anagrams)

• lettre, tetrel

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Afrikaans

词源(Etymology)

From Dutch letter, from Middle Dutch lettere, from Old French lettre, from Latin littera.

发音(Pronunciation)

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛ.tər/

名词(Noun)

letter (plural letters, diminutive lettertjie)

1. letter (letter of the alphabet)

衍生词(Derived terms)

• hoofletter
• letterkunde

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Dutch

词源(Etymology)

From Middle Dutch lettere, from Old French lettre, from Latin littera.

发音(Pronunciation)

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛ.tər/

• audio

• Hyphenation: let‧ter
• Rhymes: -ɛtər

名词(Noun)

letter f (plural letters, diminutive lettertje n)

1. letter (letter of the alphabet)
2. (obsolete) letter (written message)

衍生词(Derived terms)

派生词(Descendants)

• Afrikaans: letter
• → Indonesian: leter

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Norwegian Bokmål

动词(Verb)

letter

1. present of lette

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Swedish

名词(Noun)

letter

1. indefinite plural of lett