[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

letter \let"ter\, n. oe. lettre, f. lettre, of. letre, fr. l.
   littera, litera, a letter; pl., an epistle, a writing,
   literature, fr. linere, litum, to besmear, to spread or rub
   over; because one of the earliest modes of writing was by
   graving the characters upon tablets smeared over or covered
   with wax. --pliny, xiii. 11. see liniment, and cf.
   literal.
   1. a mark or character used as the representative of a sound,
      or of an articulation of the human organs of speech; a
      first element of written language.
      1913 webster

            and a superscription also was written over him in
            letters of greek, and latin, and hebrew. --luke
                                                  xxiii. 38.
      1913 webster

   2. a written or printed communication; a message expressed in
      intelligible characters on something adapted to
      conveyance, as paper, parchment, etc.; an epistle.
      1913 webster

            the style of letters ought to be free, easy, and
            natural.                              --walsh.
      1913 webster

   3. a writing; an inscription. obs.
      1913 webster

            none could expound what this letter meant.
                                                  --chaucer.
      1913 webster

   4. verbal expression; literal statement or meaning; exact
      signification or requirement.
      1913 webster

            we must observe the letter of the law, without doing
            violence to the reason of the law and the intention
            of the lawgiver.                      --jer. taylor.
      1913 webster

            i broke the letter of it to keep the sense.
                                                  --tennyson.
      1913 webster

   5. print. a single type; type, collectively; a style of
      type.
      1913 webster

            under these buildings . . . was the king's printing
            house, and that famous letter so much esteemed.
                                                  --evelyn.
      1913 webster

   6. pl. learning; erudition; as, a man of letters.
      1913 webster

   7. pl. a letter; an epistle. obs. --chaucer.
      1913 webster

   8. teleg. a telegram longer than an ordinary message sent
      at rates lower than the standard message rate in
      consideration of its being sent and delivered subject to
      priority in service of regular messages. such telegrams
      are called by the western union company day letters, or
      night letters according to the time of sending, and by
      the postal telegraph company day lettergrams, or night
      lettergrams.
      webster 1913 suppl.

   dead letter, drop letter, etc. see under dead, drop,
      etc.

   letter book, a book in which copies of letters are kept.

   letter box, a box for the reception of letters to be mailed
      or delivered.

   letter carrier, a person who carries letters; a postman;
      specif., an officer of the post office who carries letters
      to the persons to whom they are addressed, and collects
      letters to be mailed.

   letter cutter, one who engraves letters or letter punches.
      

   letter lock, a lock that can not be opened when fastened,
      unless certain movable lettered rings or disks forming a
      part of it are in such a position indicated by a
      particular combination of the letters as to permit the
      bolt to be withdrawn.
      1913 webster

            a strange lock that opens with amen.  --beau.  fl.

   letter paper, paper for writing letters on; especially, a
      size of paper intermediate between note paper and
      foolscap. see paper.

   letter punch, a steel punch with a letter engraved on the
      end, used in making the matrices for type.

   letters of administration law, the instrument by which an
      administrator or administratrix is authorized to
      administer the goods and estate of a deceased person.

   letter of attorney, letter of credit, etc. see under
      attorney, credit, etc.

   letter of license, a paper by which creditors extend a
      debtor's time for paying his debts.

   letters close or letters clause eng. law., letters or
      writs directed to particular persons for particular
      purposes, and hence closed or sealed on the outside; --
      distinguished from letters patent. --burrill.

   letters of orders eccl., a document duly signed and
      sealed, by which a bishop makes it known that he has
      regularly ordained a certain person as priest, deacon,
      etc.

   letters patent, letters overt, or letters open eng.
      law, a writing executed and sealed, by which power and
      authority are granted to a person to do some act, or enjoy
      some right; as, letters patent under the seal of england.
      the common commercial patent is a derivative form of
      such a right.

   letter-sheet envelope, a stamped sheet of letter paper
      issued by the government, prepared to be folded and sealed
      for transmission by mail without an envelope.

   letters testamentary law, an instrument granted by the
      proper officer to an executor after probate of a will,
      authorizing him to act as executor.

   letter writer.
      a one who writes letters.
      b a machine for copying letters.
      c a book giving directions and forms for the writing of
          letters.
          1913 webster
see also:
liniment literal day letters night letters day lettergrams night lettergrams 
dead letter drop letter dead drop letter book 
letter box letter carrier letter cutter letter lock letter paper 
paper letter punch letters of administration letter of attorney letter of credit 
attorney credit letter of license letters close letters clause 
letters patent letters of orders letters patent letters overt letters open 
patent letter-sheet envelope letters testamentary letter writer 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

dead letter
     n 1: the state of something that has outlived its relevance syn:
           non-issue
     2: mail that can neither be delivered nor returned syn: dead
        mail
see also:
non-issue dead mail 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

45 moby thesaurus words for "dead letter":
   pastoral epistle, aerogram, aimlessness, air letter, airgraph,
   billet-doux, bull, chain letter, dimissorial, dimissory letter,
   drop letter, emptiness, empty sound, encyclical, fan letter,
   form letter, futility, inanity, insignificance, letter of credit,
   letter of introduction, letters credential, letters of marque,
   letters of request, letters overt, letters patent,
   letters rogatory, love letter, meaninglessness, mere noise,
   monitory, newsletter, nixie, noise, nonsensicality, nullity,
   open letter, pastoral letter, phatic communion, poison-pen letter,
   purposelessness, round robin, senselessness, unmeaningness,
   unsignificancy

Dead Letter >> D Words
Dead Letter, definition of term: Dead Letter
dead+letter_pag1.html

Dead >> D Words
Dead, definition of term: Dead
dead_pag1.html

Dead Reckoning >> D Words
Dead Reckoning, definition of term: Dead Reckoning
dead+reckoning_pag1.html

Dead Load >> D Words
Dead Load, definition of term: Dead Load
dead+load_pag1.html

Dead Ringer >> D Words
Dead Ringer, definition of term: Dead Ringer
dead+ringer_pag1.html

Dead Language >> D Words
Dead Language, definition of term: Dead Language
dead+language_pag1.html

Dead Sea >> D Words
Dead Sea, definition of term: Dead Sea
dead+sea_pag1.html

Dead Weight >> D Words
Dead Weight, definition of term: Dead Weight
dead+weight_pag1.html

Dead Wall >> D Words
Dead Wall, definition of term: Dead Wall
dead+wall_pag1.html

Dead Shot >> D Words
Dead Shot, definition of term: Dead Shot
dead+shot_pag1.html

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