different between basque vs letter

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French basque.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bæsk/, /b??sk/
• Rhymes: -æsk, -??sk

Noun

basque (plural basques)

1. The part of a waistcoat etc. extending below the waist.
2. A woman's close-fitting bodice, underbodice, or corset having such a feature.

Translations

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bask/

Etymology 1

From Old French baste, probably borrowed from Provençal or Occitan basto, from Frankish *bastijan (“to weave, plait, sew”).

Noun

basque f (plural basques)

1. skirt, skirts (of a jacket, morning coat etc.); basque (of waistcoat)

Derived terms

• coller aux basques
• lâcher les basque

Etymology 2

From Latin Vasco, singular form of the plural noun Vascones. The transition of the initial -v- to -b- indicates a likely loan from Spanish or Occitan. Doublet of gascon, from the accusative form Vasconem.

Noun

basque m (uncountable)

1. Basque (language)

Adjective

basque (plural basques)

1. Basque

Further reading

• “basque” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?l?t?(?)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?l?t?/, /-??/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /?let?(?)/, /-??(?)/
• Rhymes: -?t?, -?t?(r), -?t?(?)
• Hyphenation: let?ter

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 ??????? (diphthér?, “tablet”). Displaced native Middle English bocstaf, bookstave (“letter, alphabetic symbol”) (from Old English b?cstæf (“alphabetic symbol, written character”)), Middle English bocrune, bocroune (“letter, written character”) (from Old English b?c (“book”) + r?n (“letter, rune”)), Middle English writrune, writroune (“letter, document”) (from Old English writ (“letter, epistle”) + r?n (“letter, rune”)), Old English ?rendb?c (“letter, message”), Old English ?rend?ewrit (“letter, written message”). Doublet of diphtheria.

Alternative forms

• lettre (obsolete)

Noun

letter (plural letters)

1. A symbol in an alphabet.

   • 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.
   • 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).
4. (plural) Literature.

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

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.

Synonyms

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

Hyponyms

• epistle
• missive

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

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).

Translations

Etymology 2

let +? -er.

Alternative forms

• lettor

Noun

letter (plural letters)

1. One who lets, or lets out.

2. (archaic) One who retards or hinders.

Translations

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• lettre, tetrel

Afrikaans

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?l?.t?r/

Noun

letter (plural letters, diminutive lettertjie)

1. letter (letter of the alphabet)

Derived terms

• hoofletter
• letterkunde

Dutch

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?l?.t?r/
• Hyphenation: let?ter
• Rhymes: -?t?r

Noun

letter f (plural letters, diminutive lettertje n)

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

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: letter
• ? Indonesian: leter
• ? Japanese: ???? (retteru)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

Verb

letter

1. present of lette

Etymology 2

Noun

letter m

1. indefinite plural of lett (non-standard since 2005)

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

letter m

1. indefinite plural of lett (non-standard since 2012)

Swedish

Noun

letter

1. indefinite plural of lett