different between letter vs charact

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

English

Etymology

From Old French characte, from Latin *characta, from Ancient Greek ???????? (kharaktós).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?kæ?ækt/

Noun

charact (plural characts)

1. (obsolete) A letter or character.
2. (obsolete) A character or personality.
   • 1603-04, Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

     Even so may Angelo / In all his dressings, characts, titles, forms, / Be an arch-villain.

3. (archaic) A magical symbol.
   • 1885, Sir Richard Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Night 15

     O son of Khazib! when thou wakest from thy sleep dig under thy feet and thou shalt find a bow of brass and three leaden arrows, inscribed with talismans and characts.