lettre French · revision 17365

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 10th century, Vie de saint Léger (letres)|origins=la littera}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /lɛtʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''lettre''' ''f'' (plural lettres)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French [[m|fro|letre]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|letre]], [[inh|la|littera|t=letter of the alphabet; in the plural, a missive, a writing, literature]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(FEW|5, 377a)^(Wiktionary) The Latin senses “missive”, “written work” and “culture” were calqued on [[grc|γράμματα|tr=grámmata]].^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) As the Latin alphabet came from Greek through Etruscan, “littera” itself may be of Greek origin; ancient glosses suggest [[grc|διφθέρα|tr=diphthéra|t=prepared hide]], used for writing, but this cannot be proved.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|lettera]], [[oc|letra]], [[ca|lletra]], [[es|letra]] and [[pt|letra]].^(REW 1935)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is first found in the second half of the 10th century in the ''Vie de saint Léger'' as ''letres'', meaning the learning that comes from the study of books.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The main senses were all in use before the end of the 12th century.^(DHLF 1992) A letter of the alphabet is in Wace (1130–1140), and a typeface from 1486.^(TLFi) About 1160 the word meant an inscription, and about 1170 the literal sense of a text, from Saint Paul's “the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life”, ''à la lettre'' is Jean de Meun's (1275–1280).^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ A missive was ''les lettres'' in the plural, as in Latin (Marie de France, about 1170), and an official act ''lettres'' from 1234.^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) Learning in the humanist sense flourished in the 16th century: ''homme de lettres'' is Montaigne's (1580) and ''belles-lettres'' dates from 1666.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) ''Avant la lettre'', first said of a print before the inscription (1794), was used figuratively by the Goncourts in 1858.^(TLFi)^(BHVF)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 10th century – ''Letres'' “learning”, in the ''Vie de saint Léger''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1130–1140 – A letter of the alphabet, in Wace.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1170 – A missive, and the literal sense, in Marie de France.^(TLFi)

+ * 1234 – An official act.^(TLFi)

+ * 1275–1280 – ''À la lettre'', in Jean de Meun.^(TLFi)

+ * 1580 – ''Homme de lettres'', in Montaigne.^(TLFi)

+ * 1666 – ''Belles-lettres''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1858 – ''Avant la lettre'', figurative, in the Goncourts.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|letter]] of the alphabet; a typeface: ''en toutes lettres''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # A letter, written message: ''écrire une lettre'', ''boîte aux lettres''.^(Wiktionary)

+ # The literal sense: ''à la lettre'', ''au pied de la lettre'', ''lettre morte'': a dead letter.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # ''Les lettres'': literature, the [[m|en|humanities]]: ''homme de lettres'', ''lettres classiques''.^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

+ # An official document: ''lettre de change'', ''lettre de créance'', ''lettre de cachet''.^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Avant la lettre'': before the term existed.^(TLFi)^(BHVF)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[lettré]]

+ * [[illettré]]

+ * [[contre-lettre]]

+ * [[belles-lettres]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[allitération]]

+ * [[bilitère]]

+ * [[littéraire]]

+ * [[littéral]]

+ * [[trilitère]]

+ * [[littérature]]

+ * [[la|littera]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}