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To contract by omitting a letter or letters; also, to mark with an apostrophe (') or apostrophes.

I dread due payment by the Greeks Of yesterday's arrear. Cowper. I have a large arrear of letters to write. J. D. Forbes. In arrear or In arrears, behind; backward; behindhand; in debt.

Learning; study; applied knowledge, science, or letters. [Archaic] So vast is art, so narrow human wit. Pope.

ementary sounds; to utter in distinct syllables or words; to enunciate; as, to articulate letters or language. "To articulate a word." Ray.

Produced, as a letter, syllable, or word, by the organs of speech; pronounced.

The act of aspirating; the pronunciation of a letter with a full or strong emission of breath; an aspirated sound. If aspiration be defined to be an impetus of breathing. Wilkins.

Change of a non-sibilant letter to a sibilant, as of -tion to - shun, duke to ditch.

t. Augustine. -- Augustinian rule, a rule for religious communities based upon the 109th letter of St. Augustine, and adopted by the Augustinian orders.

In one's own handwriting; as, an autograph letter; an autograph will.

is the second letter of the English alphabet. (See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 196,220.) It is etymologically related to p , v , f , w and m , letters representing sounds having a close organic affinity to its own sound; as in Eng. bursar and purser; Eng. bear and Lat. pear; Eng. silver and Ger. silber; Lat. cubitum and…

To write upon the back of; as, to back a letter; to indorse; as, to back a note or legal document.

A kind of handwriting in which the downward slope of the letters is from left to right.

Turned back, or inclining to the left; as, a backhanded letters.

ne operation; a group or collection of persons or things of the same kind; as, a batch of letters; the next batch of business. "A new batch of Lords." Lady M. W. Montagu.

A fine genius, or man of wit. "A man of letters and a bel esprit." W. Irving.

The second letter of the Greek alphabet, B, b. See B, and cf. etymology of Alphabet. Beta (B, b) is used variously for classifying, as:

Consisting of two letters; as, a biliteral root of a Sanskrit verb. Sir W. Jones. -- n.

hall "emit bills of credit." U. S. Const. Peters. Wharton. Bouvier (b) Among merchants, a letter sent by an agent or other person to a merchant, desiring him to give credit to the bearer for goods or money. -- Bill of divorce, in the Jewish law, a writing given by the husband to the wife, by which the marriage relatio…

A small paper; a note; a short letter. "I got your melancholy billet." Sterne.

A love letter or note. A lover chanting out a billet-doux. Spectator.