let
English
editAlternative forms
edit- lett (archaic)
- lettest (2nd person singular simple present and simple past; archaic)
- letteth (3rd person singular simple present; archaic)
Pronunciation
editEtymology 1
editDerived from Middle English leten, læten, from Old English lǣtan (“to allow, let go, bequeath, leave, rent”), from Proto-West Germanic *lātan, from Proto-Germanic *lētaną (“to leave behind, allow”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh₁d- (“to be tired, leave”).
Verb
editlet (third-person singular simple present lets, present participle letting, simple past let or (obsolete) leet, past participle let or (obsolete) letten)
- (transitive) To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without to).
- After he knocked for hours, I decided to let him come in.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 8:28:
- Pharaoh said, I will let you go.
- c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vi]:
- If your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is […]
- 1971, Ursula K. Le Guin, The Tombs of Atuan:
- He could not be let die of thirst there alone in the dark.
- 2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in 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.
- (transitive) To allow to be or do without interference; to not disturb or meddle with; to leave alone.
- Let me be!
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 16:
- Yet neither spinnes nor cardes, ne cares nor frets, / But to her mother Nature all her care she lets.
- (transitive) To allow the release of (a fluid).
- The physicians let about a pint of his blood, but to no avail.
- (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.
- 1965, Roger Miller (lyrics and music), “King Of The Road”:
- Trailers for sale or rent, rooms to let, fifty cents.
- (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
- (auxiliary, transitive) Used to introduce a first or third person imperative verb construction.
- 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.
- (transitive, obsolete except with know) To cause (+ bare infinitive).
- Can you let me know what time you'll be arriving?
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter IV, in Le Morte Darthur, book IV:
- Soo within a whyle kynge Pellinore cam with a grete hoost / and salewed the peple and the kyng / and ther was grete ioye made on euery syde / Thenne the kyng lete serche how moche people of his party ther was slayne / And ther were founde but lytel past two honderd men slayne and viij knyȝtes of the table round in their pauelions
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 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 […].
Usage notes
edit- 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).
Synonyms
editDerived terms
edit- buy-to-let
- buy to let
- don't let the bedbugs bite
- don't let the door hit you on the way out
- forlet
- if it's yellow let it mellow
- inlet
- let alone
- let a thousand flowers bloom
- let be
- let blood
- let bygones be bygones
- let crazy stick its dick in you
- let down
- let drive
- let fluffy off the chain
- let fly
- let George do it
- let go
- let her rip
- let he who is without sin cast the first stone
- let him that is without sin cast the first stone
- let him who is without sin cast the first stone
- let in
- let in on
- let into
- let it all hang out
- let it alone
- let it be
- let it be known
- let it crust
- let it snow
- let know
- let lie
- let loose
- let me count the ways
- let me see
- let nature take her course
- let nature take its course
- let Nature take its course
- let off
- let-off
- let off steam
- let on
- let one go
- let one loose
- let one off
- let one rip
- let one's guard down
- let one's hair down
- let one's nuts hang
- let one's short back and sides down
- let out
- let past
- let rip
- let's
- let sleeping dogs lie
- let slide
- let slip
- let someone have it
- let someone loose
- let something ride
- let something slip
- let the buyer beware
- let the cat out
- let the cat out of the bag
- let the chips fall where they may
- let the cobbler stick to his last
- let the devil out
- let the dice fall where they may
- let the dog see the rabbit
- let the door hit you where the good Lord split you
- let the good times roll
- let the grass grow round one's feet
- let the grass grow under one's feet
- let the matter drop
- let them have it
- let the perfect be the enemy of the good
- let there be light
- let the sleeping dogs lie
- let this cup pass from me
- let through
- let up
- let us
- let us count the ways
- let us go
- let well alone
- let well enough alone
- live and let live
- live-and-let-live
- offlet
- outlet
- re-let
- ship and let ship
- sublet
- take the cash and let the credit go
- to let
- underlet
Translations
edit
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Noun
editlet (plural lets)
- The allowing of possession of a property etc. in exchange for rent.
- 1854, Charles Dickens, Christmas Stories[1], page 317:
- Then he says “You would call it a Good Let, Madam?”
“O certainly a Good Let sir.”
Etymology 2
editDerived from Middle English letten (“to hinder, delay”), from Old English lettan (“to hinder, delay”; literally, “to make late”), from Proto-West Germanic *lattjan, from Proto-Germanic *latjaną. Akin to Old English latian (“to delay”), Dutch letten, Old English læt (“late”). More at late, delay.
Verb
editlet (third-person singular simple present lets, present participle letting, simple past letted, past participle let)
- (archaic) To hinder, prevent, impede, hamper, cumber; to obstruct (someone or something).
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Thessalonians 2:7:
- He who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
- 1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Elaine”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 152:
- Sir King, mine ancient wound is hardly whole, / And lets me from the saddle; […]
- (obsolete) To prevent someone from doing something; also to prevent something from happening.
- 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur Book XXI, Chapter ii, leaf 421r:
- & there was syr Mordred redy awaytynge vpon his londage to lette his owne fader to lāde vp the lande that he was kyng ouer.
"And there was Sir Mordred ready awaiting upon his landing, to let his own father to land upon the land that he was king over."
- 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts viij:
- 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?
- (obsolete) To tarry or delay.
- 1826, Early Metrical Tales; Including the History of Sir Egeir, Sir Gryme, and Sir Gray-Steill, Edinburgh, The History of Sir Eger, Sir Grahame, And Sir Gray-Steel, page 7:
- And for that strake I would not let, / Another upon him soon I set, […]
Noun
editlet (plural lets)
- An obstacle or hindrance.
- 1552 June 22 (Gregorian calendar), Hugh Latimer, Augustine Bernher, compiler, “Sermon XXV. Preached on the Twenty First Sunday after Trinity.”, in The Sermons of the Right Reverend Father in God, Master Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester. […], volume II, London: […] J. Scott, […], published 1758, →OCLC, page 541:
- [E]ver conſider vvhether our doings be to the let of our ſalvation or not.
- 1567, Ovid, “The Third Booke”, in Arthur Golding, transl., The XV. Bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, Entytuled Metamorphosis, […], London: […] Willyam Seres […], →OCLC, lines 60–61:
- And Cadmus saw his campanie make tarience in that sort / He marveld what should be their let, and went to seeke them out.
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 16, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
- 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.
- (tennis) The hindrance caused by the net during serve, only if the ball falls legally.
Derived terms
editTranslations
editReferences
editAnagrams
editChampenois
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editInherited from Old French lit, from Latin lectus.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editlet m (plural lets)
- (Troyen, Langrois) bed
References
editCzech
editPronunciation
editEtymology 1
editInherited from Proto-Slavic *letъ.
Noun
editlet m inan
Declension
editRelated terms
editEtymology 2
editSee the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Noun
editlet n
Further reading
editDanish
editEtymology 1
editDerived from Old Norse léttr, from Proto-Germanic *linhtaz, cognate with Swedish lätt, English light and German leicht.
Pronunciation
editAdjective
editlet (plural and definite singular attributive lette)
Inflection
editpositive | comparative | superlative | |
---|---|---|---|
indefinite common singular | let | lettere | lettest2 |
indefinite neuter singular | let | lettere | lettest2 |
plural | lette | lettere | lettest2 |
definite attributive1 | lette | lettere | letteste |
1 When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite,
the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2 The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.
Synonyms
editAdverb
editlet
References
edit- “let,2” in Den Danske Ordbog
Etymology 2
editAbbreviation of letmælk.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editlet c (singular definite letten, plural indefinite let)
Declension
editReferences
edit- “let,1” in Den Danske Ordbog
Etymology 3
editSee the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
editVerb
editlet
- imperative of lette
Etymology 4
editSee the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
editVerb
editlet
- past participle of le
Dutch
editPronunciation
editVerb
editlet
- inflection of letten:
Anagrams
editFrench
editEtymology
editPronunciation
editInterjection
editlet
- (tennis) indicates a let on service
Further reading
edit- “let”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Friulian
editEtymology
editInherited from Latin lēctus, perfect passive participle of legō.
Verb
editlet
- past participle of lei (“read”)
Gothic
editRomanization
editlēt
- Romanization of 𐌻𐌴𐍄
Irish
editAlternative forms
editPronunciation
editContraction
editlet (triggers lenition)
Related terms
editBasic form | Contracted with | Copular forms | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
an (“the sg”) | na (“the pl”) | mo (“my”) | do (“your”) | a (“his, her, their; which (present)”) | ár (“our”) | ar (“which (past)”) | (before consonant) | (present/future before vowel) | (past/conditional before vowel) | |
de (“from”) | den | de na desna* |
de mo dem* |
de do ded*, det* |
dá | dár | dar | darb | darbh | |
do (“to, for”) | don | do na dosna* |
do mo dom* |
do do dod*, dot* |
dá | dár | dar | darb | darbh | |
faoi (“under, about”) | faoin | faoi na | faoi mo | faoi do | faoina | faoinár | faoinar | faoinarb | faoinarbh | |
i (“in”) | sa, san | sna | i mo im* |
i do id*, it* |
ina | inár | inar | inarb | inarbh | |
le (“with”) | leis an | leis na | le mo lem* |
le do led*, let* |
lena | lenár | lenar | lenarb | lenarbh | |
ó (“from, since”) | ón | ó na ósna* |
ó mo óm* |
ó do ód*, ót* |
óna | ónár | ónar | ónarb | ónarbh | |
trí (“through”) | tríd an | trí na | trí mo | trí do | trína | trínár | trínar | trínarb | trínarbh | |
*Dialectal. |
North Frisian
editAlternative forms
edit- leet (Föhr-Amrum)
- lätje (Mooring)
Etymology
editInherited from Old Frisian lēta, from Proto-West Germanic *lātan.
Pronunciation
editVerb
editlet
Conjugation
editinfinitive I | let | |
---|---|---|
infinitive II | (tö) leten | |
past participle | leten | |
imperative | let | |
present | past | |
1st singular | let | let |
2nd singular | letst | letst |
3rd singular | let | let |
plural / dual | let | let |
perfect | pluperfect | |
1st singular | haa leten | her leten |
2nd singular | heest leten | herst leten |
3rd singular | heer leten | her leten |
plural / dual | haa leten | her leten |
future (skel) | future (wel) | |
1st singular | skel let | wel let |
2nd singular | sket let | wet let |
3rd singular | skel let | wel let |
plural / dual | skel let | wel let |
Norwegian Bokmål
editEtymology 1
editDerived from Old Norse litr (“colour”), related to líta (“to see”).
Noun
editlet m (definite singular leten, indefinite plural leter, definite plural letene)
Synonyms
editDerived terms
editEtymology 2
editVerb
editlet
- imperative of lete
References
edit- “let” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
editEtymology 1
editInherited from Old Norse litr (“colour”), from Proto-Germanic *wlitiz, *wlituz. Related to Old Norse líta (“to see”).
Alternative forms
editNoun
editlet m (definite singular leten, indefinite plural leter or letar, definite plural letene or letane)
Derived terms
editEtymology 2
editVerb
editlet
Etymology 3
editVerb
editlet
- imperative of leta
Further reading
edit- “let” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Anagrams
editOld English
editPronunciation
editVerb
editlēt
Serbo-Croatian
editEtymology
editInherited from Proto-Slavic *letъ.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editlȇt m (Cyrillic spelling ле̑т)
Declension
edit
Related terms
editReferences
edit- “let”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024
Slovene
editEtymology
editInherited from Proto-Slavic *letъ.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editlȅt m inan
Inflection
editMasculine inan., hard o-stem | |||
---|---|---|---|
nom. sing. | lèt | ||
gen. sing. | léta | ||
singular | dual | plural | |
nominative (imenovȃlnik) |
lèt | léta | léti |
genitive (rodȋlnik) |
léta | létov | létov |
dative (dajȃlnik) |
létu | létoma | létom |
accusative (tožȋlnik) |
lèt | léta | léte |
locative (mẹ̑stnik) |
létu | létih | létih |
instrumental (orọ̑dnik) |
létom | létoma | léti |
Tok Pisin
editEtymology
editNoun
editlet
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɛt
- Rhymes:English/ɛt/1 syllable
- English terms with homophones
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English auxiliary verbs
- English terms with obsolete senses
- Middle English terms with quotations
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with archaic senses
- en:Tennis
- English irregular past participles
- English irregular simple past forms
- English irregular verbs
- Champenois terms inherited from Old French
- Champenois terms derived from Old French
- Champenois terms inherited from Latin
- Champenois terms derived from Latin
- Champenois terms with IPA pronunciation
- Champenois lemmas
- Champenois nouns
- Champenois masculine nouns
- Czech terms with IPA pronunciation
- Czech terms with audio pronunciation
- Czech terms with homophones
- Czech terms inherited from Proto-Slavic
- Czech terms derived from Proto-Slavic
- Czech lemmas
- Czech nouns
- Czech masculine nouns
- Czech inanimate nouns
- Czech masculine inanimate nouns
- Czech hard masculine inanimate nouns
- Czech non-lemma forms
- Czech noun forms
- Danish terms derived from Old Norse
- Danish terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Danish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Danish lemmas
- Danish adjectives
- Danish adverbs
- Danish nouns
- Danish common-gender nouns
- Danish non-lemma forms
- Danish verb forms
- Dutch terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:Dutch/ɛt
- Rhymes:Dutch/ɛt/1 syllable
- Dutch non-lemma forms
- Dutch verb forms
- French terms borrowed from English
- French terms derived from English
- French 1-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French interjections
- fr:Tennis
- Friulian terms inherited from Latin
- Friulian terms derived from Latin
- Friulian non-lemma forms
- Friulian verb forms
- Friulian past participles
- Gothic non-lemma forms
- Gothic romanizations
- Irish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Irish non-lemma forms
- Irish contractions
- Munster Irish
- Irish terms with usage examples
- North Frisian terms inherited from Old Frisian
- North Frisian terms derived from Old Frisian
- North Frisian terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- North Frisian terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- North Frisian terms with IPA pronunciation
- North Frisian lemmas
- North Frisian verbs
- Sylt North Frisian
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Old Norse
- Norwegian Bokmål lemmas
- Norwegian Bokmål nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål masculine nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål non-lemma forms
- Norwegian Bokmål verb forms
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms inherited from Old Norse
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from Old Norse
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Norwegian Nynorsk lemmas
- Norwegian Nynorsk nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk masculine nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk non-lemma forms
- Norwegian Nynorsk verb forms
- Old English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Old English non-lemma forms
- Old English verb forms
- Serbo-Croatian terms inherited from Proto-Slavic
- Serbo-Croatian terms derived from Proto-Slavic
- Serbo-Croatian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Serbo-Croatian lemmas
- Serbo-Croatian nouns
- Serbo-Croatian masculine nouns
- Slovene terms inherited from Proto-Slavic
- Slovene terms derived from Proto-Slavic
- Slovene 1-syllable words
- Slovene terms with IPA pronunciation
- Slovene lemmas
- Slovene nouns
- Slovene masculine inanimate nouns
- Slovene masculine nouns
- Slovene inanimate nouns
- Slovene masculine hard o-stem nouns
- Slovene nouns with accent alternations
- Tok Pisin terms derived from English
- Tok Pisin lemmas
- Tok Pisin nouns