LET

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.

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.

A stroke in which a ball touches the top of the net in passing over.

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.

To consider; to think; to esteem. [Obs.] Chaucer.

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.

To permit; to allow; to suffer; -- either affirmatively, by positive act, or negatively, by neglecting to restrain or prevent.

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.

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.

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.

To forbear. [Obs.] Bacon.

To be let or leased; as, the farm lets for $500 a year. See note under Left, v. i. 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.]