Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Let

Let

(lĕt)
,
Verb.
T.
[OE.
letten
, AS.
lettan
to delay, to hinder, fr.
læt
slow; akin to D.
letten
to hinder, G.
verletzen
to hurt, Icel.
letja
to hold back, Goth.
latjan
. See
Late
.]
To retard; to hinder; to impede; to oppose.
[Archaic]
He was so strong that no man might him
let
.
Chaucer.
He who now
letteth
will
let
, until he be taken out of the way.
2. Thess. ii. 7.
Mine ancient wound is hardly whole,
And
lets
me from the saddle.
Tennyson.

Let

,
Noun.
1.
A retarding; hindrance; obstacle; impediment; delay; – common in the phrase without let or hindrance, but elsewhere archaic.
Keats.
Consider whether your doings be to the
let
of your salvation or not.
Latimer.
2.
(Lawn Tennis)
A stroke in which a ball touches the top of the net in passing over.

Let

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Let
(
Letted
(lĕt′tĕd)
,
[Obs]
.);
p. pr. & vb. n.
Letting
.]
[OE.
leten
,
læten
(past tense
lat
,
let
, p. p.
laten
,
leten
,
lete
), AS.
lǣtan
(past tense
lēt
, p. p.
lǣten
); akin to OFries.
lēta
, OS.
lātan
, D.
laten
, G.
lassen
, OHG.
lāzzan
, Icel.
lāta
, Sw.
låta
, Dan.
lade
, Goth.
lētan
, and L.
lassus
weary. The original meaning seems to have been, to let loose, let go, let drop. Cf.
Alas
,
Late
,
Lassitude
,
Let
to hinder.]
1.
To leave; to relinquish; to abandon.
[Obs. or Archaic, except when followed by alone or be.]
He . . . prayed him his voyage for to
let
.
Chaucer.
Yet neither spins nor cards, ne cares nor frets,
But to her mother Nature all her care she
lets
.
Spenser.
Let
me alone in choosing of my wife.
Chaucer.
2.
To consider; to think; to esteem.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
3.
To cause; to make; – used with the infinitive in the active form but in the passive sense;
as,
let
make, i. e., cause to be made;
let
bring, i. e., cause to be brought
.
[Obs.]
This irous, cursed wretch
Let
this knight’s son anon before him fetch.
Chaucer.
He . . . thus
let
do slay hem all three.
Chaucer.
Anon he
let
two coffers make.
Gower.
4.
To permit; to allow; to suffer; – either affirmatively, by positive act, or negatively, by neglecting to restrain or prevent.
☞ In this sense, when followed by an infinitive, the latter is commonly without the sign to;
as to
let
us walk, i. e., to permit or suffer us to walk
. Sometimes there is entire omission of the verb;
as, to
let
[to be or to go] loose
.
Pharaoh said, I will
let
you go.
Ex. viii. 28.
If your name be Horatio, as I am
let
to know it is.
Shakespeare
5.
To allow to be used or occupied for a compensation; to lease; to rent; to hire out; – often with
out
;
as, to
let
a farm; to
let
a house; to
let
out horses.
6.
To give, grant, or assign, as a work, privilege, or contract; – often with
out
;
as, to
let
the building of a bridge; to
let
out the lathing and the plastering.
☞ The active form of the infinitive of let, as of many other English verbs, is often used in a passive sense; as, a house to let (i. e., for letting, or to be let). This form of expression conforms to the use of the Anglo-Saxon gerund with to (dative infinitive) which was commonly so employed. See
Gerund
, 2. “ Your elegant house in Harley Street is to let.”
Thackeray.
In the imperative mood, before the first person plural, let has a hortative force. “ Rise up, let us go.”
Mark xiv. 42.
“ Let us seek out some desolate shade.”
Shak.
To let alone
,
to leave; to withdraw from; to refrain from interfering with.
–
To let blood
,
to cause blood to flow; to bleed.
–
To let down
.
(a)
To lower.
(b)
To soften in tempering; as, to let down tools, cutlery, and the like.
–
To let fly
or
To let drive
,
to discharge with violence, as a blow, an arrow, or stone. See under
Drive
, and
Fly
.
–
To let in
or
To let into
.
(a)
To permit or suffer to enter; to admit.
(b)
To insert, or imbed, as a piece of wood, in a recess formed in a surface for the purpose.
–
To let loose
,
to remove restraint from; to permit to wander at large.
–
To let off
.
(a)
To discharge; to let fly, as an arrow; to fire the charge of, as a gun.
(b)
To release, as from an engagement or obligation.
[Colloq.]
–
To let out
.
(a)
To allow to go forth;
as,
to let out
a prisoner
.
(b)
To extend or loosen, as the folds of a garment; to enlarge; to suffer to run out, as a cord.
(c)
To lease; to give out for performance by contract, as a job.
(d)
To divulge.
–
To let slide
,
to let go; to cease to care for.
[Colloq.]
“ Let the world slide.”
Shak.

Let

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To forbear.
[Obs.]
Bacon.
2.
To be let or leased;
as, the farm
lets
for $500 a year
. See note under
Let
,
Verb.
T.
To let on
,
to tell; to tattle; to divulge something.
[Low]
–
To let up
,
to become less severe; to diminish; to cease;
as, when the storm
lets up
.
[Colloq.]

Webster 1828 Edition

Let

LET

,
Verb.
T.
pret. and pp. let. Letted is obsolete. [To let out, like L. elocare, is to lease.]
1.
To permit; to allow; to suffer; to give leave or power by a positive act, or negatively, to withhold restraint; not to prevent. A leaky ship lets water enter into the hold. Let is followed by the infinitive without the sign to.
Pharaoh said, I will let you go. Ex. 8.
When the ship was caught and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. Acts 27.
2.
To lease; to grant possession and use for a compensation; as, to let to farm; to let an estate for a year; to let a room to lodgers; often followed by out, as, to let out a farm; but the use of out is unnecessary.
3.
To suffer; to permit; with the usual sign of the infinitive.
There's a letter for you, Sir, if your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is. [Not used.]
4.
In the imperative mode, let has the following uses. Followed by the first and third persons, it expresses desire or wish; hence it is used in prayer and entreaty to superiors, and to those who have us in their power; as, let me not wander from thy commandments. Ps. 119.
Followed by the first person plural, let expresses exhortation or entreaty; as, rise, let us go.
Followed by the third person, it implies permission or command addressed to an inferior. Let him go, let them remain, are commands addressed to the second person. Let thou, or let ye, that is, do thou or you permit him to go.
Sometimes let is used to express a command or injunction to a third person. When the signal is given to engage, let every man do his duty.
When applied to things not rational, it implies allowance or concession.
O'er golden sands let rich Pactolus flow.
5.
To retard; to hinder; to impede; to interpose obstructions. 2Thess. 2.
[This sense is now obsolete, or nearly so.]
To let alone, to leave; to suffer to remain without intermeddling; as, let alone this idle project; let me alone.
To let down, to permit to sink or fall; to lower.
She let them down by a cord through the window. Josh. 2.
To let loose, to free from restraint; to permit to wander at large.
To let in or into, to permit or suffer to enter; to admit. Open the door, let in my friend. We are not let into the secrets of the cabinet.
To let blood, to open a vein and suffer the blood to flow out.
To let out, to suffer to escape; also, to lease or let to hire.
To let off, to discharge, to let fly, as an arrow; or cause to explode, as a gun.

LET

,
Verb.
I.
To forbear. Obs.

LET

,
Noun.
A retarding; hinderance; obstacle; impediment; delay. [Obsolete, unless in some technical phrases.]

LET

, a termination of diminutives; as hamlet, a little house; rivulet, a small stream. [See Little.]

Definition 2024

Let

Let

See also: let, -let, lét, lèt, and lêt

Dutch

Noun

Let m ‎(plural Letten, diminutive Letje n)

  1. a man from Latvia

Related terms

Anagrams

let

let

See also: Let, -let, lét, lèt, and lêt

English

Alternative forms

  • lett (archaic)
  • lettest (2nd person singular simple present and simple past; archaic)
  • letteth (3rd person singular simple present; archaic)

Verb

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

  1. (transitive) To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without to).
    After he knocked for hours, I decided to let him come in.‎
    • Bible, Exodus viii. 28
      Pharaoh said, I will let you go.
    • William Shakespeare (c.1564–1616)
      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.
  2. (transitive) To leave.
    Let me alone!‎
    • Edmund Spenser (c.1552–1599)
      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. (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
    • 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 […].
Synonyms
Usage notes
  • 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).
Translations

Noun

let ‎(plural lets)

  1. The allowing of possession of a property etc. in exchange for rent.
    • Charles Dickens
      Then he says “You would call it a Good Let, Madam?”
      “O certainly a Good Let sir.”

Etymology 2

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.

Verb

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

  1. (archaic) To hinder, prevent, impede, hamper, cumber; 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 someone from doing something; also to prevent something from happening.
    • 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?
  3. (obsolete) To tarry or delay.
    • Chaucer
      No longer would he let.
    • a1500, Sir Eger, Eger and Grimeː
      For that strake I would not let, Another upon him soon I set.

Noun

let ‎(plural lets)

  1. An obstacle or hindrance.
    • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essayes, London: Edward Blount, OCLC 946730821, 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.
Derived terms
  • without let or hindrance
Translations
References

Statistics

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

Anagrams

Czech

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /lɛt/
  • Homophones: led

Etymology 1

From letět.

Noun

let m

  1. flight (the act of flying)
Declension
Derived terms
  • letový

Etymology 2

Noun

let

  1. genitive plural of léto

Danish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /lɛt/, [lɛd̥]

Adjective

let

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

Inflection

Inflection of let
Positive Comparative Superlative
Common singular let lettere lettest2
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

Adverb

let

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

Verb

let

  1. imperative of lette

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɛt

Verb

let

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

Anagrams

French

Etymology

Borrowing from English let.

Interjection

let

  1. (tennis) indicates a let on service

Gothic

Romanization

lēt

  1. Romanization of 𐌻𐌴𐍄

Irish

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /lʲɛt̪ˠ/

Contraction

let ‎(triggers lenition)

  1. (Munster) Contraction of le do ‎(“with your sg”).
    let thoil‎ ― please

Related terms

Lojban

Rafsi

let

  1. rafsi of gletu.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

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

Noun

let m

  1. colour
Synonyms

Etymology 2

Verb

let

  1. imperative of lete

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

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

Noun

let m

  1. colour

Alternative forms

Synonyms

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From lètjeti.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /lêːt/

Noun

lȇt m ‎(Cyrillic spelling ле̑т)

  1. flight

Declension

Related terms

References

  • “let” in Hrvatski jezični portal

Slovene

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈlɛ́t/
  • Tonal orthography: lȅt

Noun

lèt m inan ‎(genitive léta, nominative plural léti)

  1. flight

Declension

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English leather.

Noun

let

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

Pronunciation

Similar Results