let

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Let

Wikipedia

PronunciationEdit

• IPA^(key): /lɛt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛt

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle English leten, læten, from Old English lǣtan (“to allow, let go, bequeath, leave, rent”), from Proto-Germanic *lētaną (“to leave behind, allow”), from Proto-Indo-European *lēd- (“to let, leave behind”). Cognate with Scots lat, lete (“to let, leave”), North Frisian lete (“to let”), West Frisian litte (“to let”), Dutch laten (“to let, leave”), German lassen (“to let, leave, allow”), Swedish låta (“to let, allow, leave”), Icelandic láta (“to let”), Albanian lë (“to allow, let, leave”).

VerbEdit

let (third-person singular simple present lets, present participle letting, simple past let or obsolete leet, past participle let or rarely letten)

1. (transitive) To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without to).
   • Bible, Exodus viii. 28

     Pharaoh said, I will let you go.

   • Shakespeare

     If your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is […]

   • 2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 27: 

     The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you "stay up to date with what your friends are doing", […] and so on. But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people's control of their own attention.

   After he knocked for hours, I decided to let him come in.

2. To leave.

   Let me alone!

   • Spenser

     Yet neither spins nor cards, ne cares nor frets, / But to her mother Nature all her care she lets.

3. (transitive) To allow the release of (a fluid).

   The physicians let about a pint of his blood, but to no avail.

4. (transitive) To allow possession of (a property etc.) in exchange for rent.

   I decided to let the farmhouse to a couple while I was working abroad.

5. (transitive) To give, grant, or assign, as a work, privilege, or contract; often with out.

   to let the building of a bridge

   to let out the lathing and the plastering

6. (transitive) Used to introduce an imperative in the first or third person.

   Let's put on a show!

   Let us have a moment of silence.

   Let me just give you the phone number.

   Let P be the point where AB and OX intersect.

7. (obsolete except with know) To cause (+ bare infinitive).
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur, Book IV:

     Thenne the kyng lete serche how moche people of his party ther was slayne.

   • 1818, John Keats, "To—":

     Time's sea hath been five years at its slow ebb, / Long hours have to and fro let creep the sand [...].

   Can you let me know what time you'll be arriving?

SynonymsEdit

• (to allow): allow, permit

Usage notesEdit

The use of "let" to introduce an imperative may sometimes be confused with its use, as its own imperative, in the sense of "to allow". For example, the sentence "Let me go to the store." could either be a second-person imperative of "let" (addressing someone who might prevent the speaker from going to the store) or a first-person singular imperative of "go" (not implying any such preventer).

TranslationsEdit

Etymology 2Edit

Middle English letten (“to hinder, delay”), from Old English lettan (“to hinder, delay"; literally, "to make late”), from Proto-Germanic *latjaną. Akin to Old English latian (“to delay”), Dutch letten, Old English læt (“late”). More at late, delay.

VerbEdit

let (third-person singular simple present lets, present participle letting, simple past letted, past participle let)

1. (archaic) To hinder, prevent; to obstruct (someone or something).
   • Bible, 2. Thessalonians ii. 7

     He who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

   • Tennyson

     Mine ancient wound is hardly whole, / And lets me from the saddle.

2. (obsolete) To prevent or obstruct to do something, or that something happen.
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Acts VIII:

     And as they went on their waye, they cam unto a certayne water, and the gelded man sayde: Se here is water, what shall lett me to be baptised?

NounEdit

let (plural lets)

1. An obstacle or hindrance.
   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.16:

     Paulus Emilius going to the glorious expedition of Macedon, advertised the people of Rome during his absence not to speake of his actions: For the licence of judgements is an especiall let in great affaires.

   • Latimer

     Consider whether your doings be to the let of your salvation or not.

2. (tennis) The hindrance caused by the net during serve, only if the ball falls legally.

TranslationsEdit

StatisticsEdit

• Most common English words before 1923: whole · find · got · #192: let · world · thing · set

AnagramsEdit

• ELT
• ETL
• tel

PronunciationEdit

• audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /lɛt/
• Homophones: led

Etymology 1Edit

From letět.

NounEdit

let m

1. flight (the act of flying)

DeclensionEdit

Derived termsEdit

• letový

Etymology 2Edit

NounEdit

let

1. genitive plural of léto

EtymologyEdit

From Old Norse léttr, from Proto-Germanic *linhtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-.

PronunciationEdit

• IPA^(key): /lɛt/, [lɛd̥]

AdjectiveEdit

let (neuter let, definite and plural lette, comparative lettere, superlative lettest)

1. light
2. easy
3. slight
4. mild

SynonymsEdit

• (easy): nem, enkel

AdverbEdit

let

1. lightly
2. easily
3. slightly
4. mildly

VerbEdit

let

1. Imperative of lette.

PronunciationEdit

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛt

VerbEdit

let

1. first-, second- and third-person singular present indicative of letten
2. imperative of letten

AnagramsEdit

• tel

EtymologyEdit

Borrowing from English let.

InterjectionEdit

let

1. (tennis) indicates a let on service

RomanizationEdit

lēt

1. Romanization of 𐌻𐌴𐍄

RafsiEdit

let

1. rafsi of gletu.

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Norse leita (“to search”), related to líta (“to see”)

VerbEdit

let

1. Imperative form of lete (to search)

Alternative formsEdit

• leit

Etymology 2Edit

From Old Norse litr (“colour”), related to líta (“to see”)

NounEdit

let m

1. colour

SynonymsEdit

• farge

EtymologyEdit

From Old Norse litr (“colour”), related to líta (“to see”)

NounEdit

let m

1. colour

Alternative formsEdit

• lett

SynonymsEdit

• farge

NounEdit

lȇt m (Cyrillic spelling ле̑т)

1. flight

DeclensionEdit

Related termsEdit

• lètjeti / lèteti

PronunciationEdit

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛ́t/
• Tonal: lȅt

NounEdit

lèt m inan (genitive léta, nominative plural léti)

1. flight

DeclensionEdit

EtymologyEdit

From English leather.

NounEdit

let

1. leather
2. strap (of leather)
3. belt