lett ( archaic ) lettest ( 2nd person singular simple present and simple past; archaic ) letteth ( 3rd person singular simple present; archaic ) Derived fromMiddle English leten læten Old English lǣtan ( “ to allow, let go, bequeath, leave, rent ” ) , fromProto-West Germanic *lātan Proto-Germanic *lētaną ( “ to leave behind, allow ” ) , fromProto-Indo-European *leh₁d- ( “ to be tired, leave ” ) .
Cognates
Cognate withScots lat lete ( “ to let, leave ” ) ,North Frisian lete ( “ to let ” ) ,West Frisian litte ( “ to let ” ) ,Dutch laten ( “ to let, leave ” ) ,German lassen ( “ to let, leave, allow ” ) ,Swedish låta ( “ to let, allow, leave ” ) ,Danish lade ( “ to let, allow, leave ” ) ,Icelandic láta ( “ to let ” ) ,Albanian lë ( “ to allow, let, leave ” ) and partially related toFrench laisser ( “ to let ” ) .
let (third-person singular simple present lets present participle letting simple past let or ( obsolete ) leet past participle let or ( obsolete ) letten
( transitive ) allow to, not to prevent( + infinitive, but usually withoutto ) .After he knocked for hours, I decided tolet him come in.
c. 1599–1602 William Shakespeare , “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke ”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [ … ] (First Folio ), London: [ … ] Isaac Iaggard , andEd[ ward] Blount , published1623 ,→OCLC [ Act IV, scene vi] :If your name be Horatio, as I amlet to know it is[ …]
2013 June 21,Oliver Burkeman , “The tao of tech ”, inThe Guardian Weekly 189 , number 2, page27 :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 thatlet you "stay up to date with what your friends are doing",[ …]
( transitive ) leave alone .Let me be!
( transitive ) The physicianslet about a pint of his blood, but to no avail.
( transitive , chiefly British ) rent .I decided tolet the farmhouse to a couple while I was working abroad.
1965 Trailers for sale or rent, rooms tolet , fifty cents.
( transitive ) out .tolet the building of a bridge; tolet out the lathing and the plastering
( auxiliary , transitive ) Used to introduce a first or third person imperative verb construction. 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 whereAB andOX intersect.
( transitive , obsolete except withknow orbe ) cause ( + bare infinitive ) .Can youlet me know what time you'll be arriving?
1485 Sir Thomas Malory , chapterIV , inLe Morte Darthur 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 kynglete 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. So after a while King Pellinore came with a great host and saluted the people and the king, and there was great joy on every side. Then the kinglet search how many people of his faction were slain. And there were found only a little more than two hundred men slain, and eight knights of the Table Round in their pavilions. 1818 John Keats ,To— :Time's sea hath been five years at its slow ebb, / Long hours have to and frolet creep the sand [ …]
1854 August 9,Henry D[avid] Thoreau , “The Ponds”, inWalden; or, Life in the Woods Ticknor and Fields ,→OCLC page212 :What right had the unclean and stupid farmer, whose farm abutted on this sky water, whose shores he has ruthlessly laid bare, to give his name to it? ... Ratherlet it be named from the fishes that swim in it, the wild fowl or quadrupeds which frequent it, the wild flowers which grow by its shores, or some wild man or child the thread of whose history is interwoven with its own...
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). allow
Albanian:lë Arabic:سَمَحَ (ar) ( samaḥa ) ,دَعَّ ( daʕʕa ) Moroccan Arabic:خلَى ( ḵella ) Armenian:թողնել (hy) ( tʻoġnel ) Aromanian:alas las Asturian:dexar (ast) Belarusian:пуска́ць impf ( puskácʹ ) ,пусці́ць pf ( puscícʹ ) ( let go ) ,дазваля́ць impf ( dazvaljácʹ ) ,дазво́ліць pf ( dazvólicʹ ) Breton:lezel (br) Bulgarian:позволявам (bg) ( pozvoljavam ) Catalan:permetre (ca) ,deixar (ca) Chinese:Mandarin:讓 / 让 (zh) ( ràng ) Czech:nechat (cs) ,dovolit (cs) pf Danish:tillade (da) ,lade (da) Dutch:laten (nl) ,toestaan (nl) Esperanto:lasi (eo) Estonian:laskma Finnish:antaa (fi) ,sallia (fi) French:laisser (fr) Friulian:lassâ Galician:deixar (gl) Georgian:ნების დართვა ( nebis dartva ) ,გაშვება ( gašveba ) German:lassen (de) Greek:επιτρέπω (el) ( epitrépo ) ,αφήνω (el) ( afíno ) Ancient:ἐάω ( eáō ) ,ἀφίημι ( aphíēmi ) Hebrew:הִנִּיחַ (he) ( hinníaẖ ) Hungarian:hagy (hu) ,enged (hu) Icelandic:leyfa (is) Ido:lasar (io) Interlingua:lassar Istriot:lassà Italian:lasciare (it) ,permettere (it) Japanese:...させる (ja) ( ...saseru ) ( causative form ) Khmer:អោយ ( ʼaoy ) Korean:허락하다 (ko) ( heorakhada ) Ladin:lascer Lao:please add this translation if you can Latin:sinō (la) ,patior (la) ,permittō sustineō (la) Latvian:ļaut laist Lithuanian:leisti (lt) Livonian:laskõ Lombard:lassà (lmo) Macedonian:дозволи ( dozvoli ) Mbyá Guaraní:eja Neapolitan:lassà Norwegian:la (no) Occitan:permetre (oc) ,daissar (oc) Old English:lǣtan Persian:گذاشتن (fa) ( gozâštan ) ,اجازه دادن (fa) ( ejâze dâdan ) Piedmontese:lassé Polish:pozwalać (pl) impf pozwolić (pl) pf Portuguese:deixar (pt) ,permitir (pt) ,ir (pt) Quechua:sagii hagii Romanian:lăsa (ro) Romansch:laschar lascher schar Russian:пуска́ть (ru) impf ( puskátʹ ) ,пусти́ть (ru) pf ( pustítʹ ) ( let go ) ,позволя́ть (ru) impf ( pozvoljátʹ ) ,позво́лить (ru) pf ( pozvólitʹ ) Sardinian:lassai lassare Scottish Gaelic:leig le Serbo-Croatian:dopustiti (sh) ,dati (sh) Cyrillic:пустити pf дозволити pf Roman:pustiti (sh) pf dozvoliti (sh) pf Sicilian:lassari (scn) Slovak:nechať Slovene:pustiti (sl) pf Sorbian:Lower Sorbian:daś Spanish:permitir (es) ,dejar (es) Swedish:låta (sv) Tagalog:hayaan pabayaan Telugu:ఇవ్వు ( ivvu ) Thai:ให้ (th) ( hâi ) ,ปล่อย (th) ( bplɔ̀i ) Tibetan:please add this translation if you can Tocharian B:kälm- tärk- Ukrainian:пуска́ти impf ( puskáty ) ,пусти́ти pf ( pustýty ) ( let go ) ,дозволя́ти impf ( dozvoljáty ) ,дозво́лити pf ( dozvólyty ) Venetan:lasar (vec) Vietnamese:trở (vi) ( literally“ to give ” ) ,để (vi) Walloon:leyî (wa) ,laire (wa) Welsh:gadael (cy) White Hmong:please add this translation if you can Yiddish:לאָזן ( lozn ) Zhuang:please add this translation if you can
allow the release of (a fluid)
put up for rent
Bulgarian:давам под наем ( davam pod naem ) Chinese:Mandarin:出租 (zh) ( chūzū ) Czech:pronajmout (cs) pf Dutch:verhuren (nl) Finnish:antaa vuokralle French:louer (fr) German:vermieten (de) ,überlassen (de) Hungarian:bérel (hu) Italian:affittare (it) Japanese:貸す (ja) ( かす, kasu ) Korean:임대하다 (ko) ( imdaehada ) Latvian:izīrēt Lithuanian:nuomoti išnuomoti Norwegian:leie ut Polish:wynajmować (pl) Portuguese:alugar (pt) Russian:сдава́ть варе́нду impf ( sdavátʹ v aréndu ) ,сдать варе́нду pf ( sdatʹ v aréndu ) ,сдава́ть внаём impf ( sdavátʹ vnajóm ) ,сдать внаём pf ( sdatʹ vnajóm ) ,сдава́ть (ru) impf ( sdavátʹ ) ,сдать (ru) pf ( sdatʹ ) Scottish Gaelic:thoir seachad air mhàl Serbo-Croatian:Roman:posuditi (sh) ,iznajmiti (sh) Spanish:alquilar (es) ,arrendar (es) Walloon:louwer
introducing an imperative
let (plural lets
The allowing of possession of a property etc. in exchange forrent .1854 Christmas Stories [1] 317 :Then he says “You would call it a GoodLet , Madam?”
Derived fromMiddle English letten ( “ to hinder, delay ” ) , fromOld English lettan ( “ to hinder, delay”; literally, “to make late ” ) , fromProto-West Germanic *lattjan Proto-Germanic *latjaną Old English latian ( “ to delay ” ) ,Dutch letten Old English læt ( “ late ” ) . More atlate ,delay .
let (third-person singular simple present lets present participle letting simple past letted past participle let
( archaic ) hinder ,prevent ,impede ,hamper ,cumber ; toobstruct ( someone or something ) .( obsolete ) prevent someone from doing something; also toprevent something from happening.1485 Thomas Malory ,Le Morte Darthur Book XXI, Chapter ii,leaf 421r & there was syr Mordred redy awaytynge vpon his londage tolette his owne fader to lāde vp the lande that he was kyng ouer. let his own father to land upon the land that he was king over."
1526 William Tyndale , transl.],The Newe Testamẽt [ … ] Tyndale Bible ), [Worms, Germany:Peter Schöffer ],→OCLC Acts viij:And as they went on their waye, they cam unto a certayne water, and the gelded man sayde: Se here is water, what shalllett me to be baptised?
( obsolete ) tarry ordelay .1826 Early Metrical Tales; Including the History of Sir Egeir, Sir Gryme, and Sir Gray-Steill , Edinburgh, The History of Sir Eger, Sir Grahame, And Sir Gray-Steel, page 7:And for that strake I would notlet , / Another upon him soon I set,[ …]
let (plural lets
Anobstacle orhindrance .1552 June 22 (Gregorian calendar),Hugh Latimer ,Augustine Bernher , compiler, “Sermon XXV. Preached on the Twenty First Sunday after Trinity.”, inThe Sermons of the Right Reverend Father in God, Master Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester. [ … ] , volume II, London: [ … ] J. Scott, [ … ] 1758 ,→OCLC page541 :[E]ver conſider vvhether our doings be to thelet of our ſalvation or not. The spelling has been modernized. 1567 Ovid , “The Third Booke”, inArthur Golding , transl.,The XV. Bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, Entytuled Metamorphosis, [ … ] [ … ] Willyam Seres [ … ] →OCLC 60–61 :And Cadmus saw his campanie make tarience in that sort / He marveld what should be theirlet , and went to seeke them out.
( tennis ) hindrance caused by thenet duringserve , only if the ball falls legally.hindrance caused by the net during serve at tennis
Inherited fromOld French lit Latin lectus
IPA (key ) : /lɛ/
let m plural lets
( Troyen, Langrois ) bed Daunay, Jean (1998 )Parlers de Champagne : Pour un classement thématique du vocabulaire des anciens parlers de Champagne (Aube - Marne - Haute-Marne) [2] Baudoin, Alphonse (1885 )Glossaire de la forêt de Clairvaux [3] Inherited fromProto-Slavic *letъ
let m inan
flight ( the act offlying ) Declension oflet (hard masculine inanimate )
See the etymology of the correspondinglemma form.
let n
genitive plural ofléto “let ”, inPříruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech),1935–1957 “let ”, inSlovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech),1960–1971, 1989 “let ”, inInternetová jazyková příručka (in Czech),2008–2025 Derived fromOld Norse léttr Proto-Germanic *linhtaz Swedish lätt English light German leicht
let (plural and definite singular attributive lette
light ( not heavy ) easy slight mild 1 When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite,2 The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.
let
lightly easily slightly mildly Abbreviation ofletmælk
let c singular definite letten plural indefinite let
low-fat milk See the etymology of the correspondinglemma form.
let
imperative oflette See the etymology of the correspondinglemma form.
let
past participle ofle let
inflection ofletten first / second / third-person singular present indicative imperative Borrowed fromEnglish let
let
( tennis ) indicates a let on service Inherited fromLatin lēctus legō
let
past participle oflei ( “ read ” ) lēt
Romanization of𐌻𐌴𐍄 let (triggerslenition )
( Munster ) Contraction ofle do ( “ with yoursg ” ) .let thoilplease Irish preposition contractions
Basic form Contracted with Copular forms an ( “ the sg ” ) na ( “ the pl ” ) mo ( “ my ” ) do ( “ your ” ) a ( “ his, her, their; which (present) ” ) ár ( “ our ” ) ar ( “ which (past) ” ) (before consonant) (present/future before vowel) (past/conditional before vowel) de ( “ from ” ) den de na desna de mo dem de do ded det dá dár dar darb darbh do ( “ to, for ” ) don do na dosna do mo dom do do dod dot dá dár dar darb darbh faoi ( “ under, about ” ) faoin faoi na faoi mo faoi do faoina faoinár faoinar faoinarb faoinarbh i ( “ in ” ) sa san sna i mo im i do id it ina inár inar inarb inarbh le ( “ with ” ) leis an leis na le mo lem le do led let lena lenár lenar lenarb lenarbh ó ( “ from, since ” ) ón ó na ósna ó mo óm ó do ód ót óna ónár ónar ónarb ónarbh trí ( “ through ” ) tríd an trí na trí mo trí do trína trínár trínar trínarb trínarbh *Dialectal.
Inherited fromOld Frisian lēta Proto-West Germanic *lātan
let
( Sylt ) let Conjugation oflet (Sylt dialect) infinitive I let infinitive II (tö past participle leten imperative let present past 1st singular let let 2nd singular letst letst 3rd singular let let plural / dual let let perfect pluperfect 1st singular haa her 2nd singular heest herst 3rd singular heer her plural / dual haa her future (skel) future (wel) 1st singular skel wel 2nd singular sket wet 3rd singular skel wel plural / dual skel wel
Derived fromOld Norse litr ( “ colour ” ) , related tolíta ( “ to see ” ) .
let m definite singular leten indefinite plural leter definite plural letene
color /colour let
imperative oflete “let” inThe Bokmål Dictionary .Inherited fromOld Norse litr ( “ colour ” ) , fromProto-Germanic *wlitiz *wlituz Old Norse líta ( “ to see ” ) .
let m definite singular leten indefinite plural leter or letar definite plural letene or letane
color /colour Synonym: farge let
present tense ofla present oflata past tense ofla past oflata let
imperative ofleta “let” inThe Nynorsk Dictionary .lēt
first / third-person singular preterite indicative oflǣtan Inherited fromProto-Slavic *letъ
lȇt m Cyrillic spelling ле̑т
flight
“let ”, inHrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal 2006–2025 Inherited fromProto-Slavic *letъ
lȅt m inan
flight Derived fromEnglish leather
let
leather strap ( of leather ) belt 
