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# letter

«letter» in Mova's judaism dictionary: **one of the signs we use to write words, like A, b or Z** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (letter, letters); verb (letter, letters, lettered — rare)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A letter is one of the signs we use to write words, like A, b or Z. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#m1)

2) A letter is a written message you send to someone, usually in an envelope by post. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#m2)

3) In maths, a letter like x or n can stand for an unknown number. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#m3)

4) «To the letter» means exactly as told. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In Sefer Yetzirah the letters mean the twenty-two Hebrew letters, the building blocks of the world. In the Prophets and Writings a letter is also a written message sent from one person to another. Interpretation: Sefer Yetzirah teaches that God made the world with the twenty-two letters, divided into three mothers, seven doubles and twelve simples. The letters sent by kings, officials and enemies in Ezra, Nehemiah and Jeremiah are ordinary messages. In the primary lessons: In school, letters are counted in words and spelling lists; capital and small letters; vowels and consonants. In maths, letters stand for unknown numbers (n, x), and letters are things counted when delivered. In everyday life: writing letters, a letter from school to parents, a letter to Santa. Phrases: «capital letter», «letter box», «to the letter».

### examples

- The twenty-two letters which form the stamina (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x1)
- These letters are the initials of the 12 Zodiacal (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x2)
- == Chapter 2 == [2:1] There are twenty-two letters, stamina. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x3)
- And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear. (Writings NEH.6.19, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x4)
- the letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me. (Writings EZR.4.18, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x5)
- And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet. (Prophets JER.29.29, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x6)
- The word «apple» has 5 letters. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x7)
- The mailman delivers 120 letters a day. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x8)
- She wrote 3 letters to her friends. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x9)
- Let the letter n stand for the number of apples. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x10)
- Start every sentence with a capital letter. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x11)
- The English alphabet has 26 letters. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x12)
- The school sent a letter home about the trip. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x13)
- He posted a letter to his grandma in Ireland. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x14)
- She followed the recipe to the letter. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x15)
- What a tour that letter had made! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/#x16)

### note

Countable. Vowel letters are a, e, i, o, u; the others are consonants. A letter is a sign; a sound is what we hear, and they do not always match (the «k» in «knee» is silent). The English alphabet has 26 letters. Maths: counted things or a name for an unknown. Trap: a stamp per letter means letters × price of a stamp.

### In the corpora

- [And she wrote in the letters, saying: 'Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people;](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/1KI.780/)
- [And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/JER.804/)
- [Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort —](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/EZR.103/)
- [the letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/EZR.113/)
- [they sent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus: 'Unto Darius the king, all peace.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/EZR.126/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «letter» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/L/letter/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.