love letter en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English lovelettre.
Meanings
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A letter written to express the author's love for the intended reader.
Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.
2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama's once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 18:We never see each other, but have been sending love letters every Valentine's Day for 10 years.
Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language[…]; his clerks, however, understood him very well. If he had written a love letter, or a farce, or a ballade, or a story, no one, either clerks, or friends, or compositors, would have understood anything but a word here and a word there. For his signature, however, that was different.
1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:
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(figuratively) A work that shows great passion or enthusiasm for something.
From beginning to end, Homecoming: The Live Album is a love letter from Beyoncé to the Black culture that made her who she is, a celebration of the extraordinary creativity and power of Black people and our experience. For us, by us.
2019 April 17, Ineye Komonibo, “Beyoncé Dropped Another Album While You Were Sleeping”, in Marie Claire:It was in this era, too, that author and Scotland the Brave songwriter Cliff Hanley penned The Glasgow Underground, a tongue-in-cheek love letter to the Subway in song.
2021 December 29, Conrad Landin, “Glasgow Subway: a city institution”, in RAIL, number 947, page 45:This movie is a love letter to New York.
The film is both a tip of the chapeau to The New Yorker, among other American magazines, and a love letter to expat life in France. But beyond that? There isn't much going on beneath its extraordinary bejewelled surface.
2021 July 12, Nicholas Barber, “The French Dispatch: Four stars for Wes Anderson's latest”, in BBC:
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(US, slang) A notice from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection informing about the seizure of a personal shipment as contraband.
Dr Martin says the address the package has been sent to will likely get a "love letter" in the post from Customs.
2016 August 2, Nick Jarvis, “What Happens if You're Caught Getting Drugs in the Mail?”, in Vice:
- (Malaysia, Singapore) A thin crispy biscuit roll similar to the Spanish barquillo, Dutch kniepertjes, and Norwegian krumkake. Usually made from coconut milk, eggs, flour, sugar, and oil. This food item has many names: in Malay, kuih/kueh/kue kapit/sepit/sapit/semprong (literally "clamped/tongs/roll cake/snack"); in Chinese, 蛋卷 (literally "egg roll"). The name "love letter" probably arises from the flowery patterns, Chinese characters, animals, etc. (that were probably introduced by Peranakans). Usually eaten only around festivals such as Chinese New Year or Hari Raya Puasa. Sometimes also folded (rather than rolled). Note: while "egg roll" is a name sometimes used for this food item in Singapore and Malaysia, in the West, the name "egg roll" usually refers to a very different, savoury Chinese-American food item that is usually served hot and has little or no egg.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| love letters | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
Translations (59)
es carta de amor (letter about the author's love) · gd litir-leannanachd (letter about the author's love) · sv kärleksbrev (letter about the author's love) · ms surat cinta (letter about the author's love) · te ప్రేమలేఖ (letter about the author's love) · hi प्रेम पत्र (letter about the author's love) · el ερωτικό γράμμα (letter about the author's love) · th จดหมายรัก (letter about the author's love) · it lettera d'amore (letter about the author's love) · mr प्रेम पत्र (letter about the author's love) · et armastuskiri (letter about the author's love) · yue 情書 /情书 (letter about the author's love) · ro scrisoare de dragoste (letter about the author's love) · be любо́ўны ліст (letter about the author's love) · mk љубовно писмо (letter about the author's love) · cmn 情書 /情书 (letter about the author's love) · ja 艶書 (letter about the author's love) · ml പ്രേമലേഖനം (letter about the author's love) · sh ljubavno pismo (letter about the author's love) · pt carta de amor (letter about the author's love) · eo amoletero (letter about the author's love) · oj zaagi'iwe-mazina'igan (letter about the author's love) · af liefdesbrief (letter about the author's love) · gu પ્રેમપત્ર (letter about the author's love) · ca carta d'amor (letter about the author's love) · ota محبتنامه (letter about the author's love) · nl liefdesbrief (letter about the author's love) · bg любо́вно писмо́ (letter about the author's love) · tr aşk mektubu (letter about the author's love) · es carta amorosa (letter about the author's love) · sh љубавно писмо (letter about the author's love) · nan-hbl 情批 (letter about the author's love) · uk любо́вний лист (letter about the author's love) · fi rakkauskirje (letter about the author's love) · fa نامه عاشقانه (letter about the author's love) · sk ľúbostný list (letter about the author's love) · hu szerelmes levél (letter about the author's love) · ko 연애편지 (letter about the author's love) · pl list miłosny (letter about the author's love) · he מכתב אהבה (letter about the author's love) · te మన్మథపత్రిక (letter about the author's love) · ar رِسَالَةُ حُبٍّ (letter about the author's love) · de Billetdoux (letter about the author's love) · ko 련애편지 (letter about the author's love) · ja 付け文 (letter about the author's love) · ja ラブレター (letter about the author's love) · ru любо́вное письмо́ (letter about the author's love) · ja 恋文 (letter about the author's love) · cs milostný dopis (letter about the author's love) · vo lelöfapened (letter about the author's love) · ml പ്രണയ ലേഖനം (letter about the author's love) · de Liebesbrief (letter about the author's love) · cs líbesbríf (letter about the author's love) · yue 情信 (letter about the author's love) · my မှာတမ်း (letter about the author's love) · fr lettre d’amour (letter about the author's love) · is ástarbréf (letter about the author's love) · sl ljubezensko pismo (letter about the author's love) · fr billet doux (letter about the author's love)