Lettering

How to spell lettering

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce lettering

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does lettering mean?

1. nounThe letters or words drawn, painted, or inscribed on a surface, considered as a set or as a style.
2. nounThe art or activity of drawing or forming letters by hand.

Lettering in a sentence

• The gold lettering on the trophy had begun to fade.

• She took an evening class in calligraphy and lettering.

• A sign painter restored the lettering above the old shopfront.

• Hand lettering takes years of patient practice to master.

Where does lettering come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built on the noun 'letter', which English took from the Old French 'lettre' in the 1200s, itself from the Latin 'littera' meaning a single character of the alphabet. In the plural, the Latin 'litterae' came to mean writings, records, and eventually learning itself, which is why 'literature' and 'literate' share the same root. Adding the native English ending '-ing' turned 'letter' into a word for the activity of forming letters and, by extension, the finished set of characters drawn or inscribed on a surface. The sense referring to decorative or signwriting work became common as commercial signs, book covers, and packaging grew in the nineteenth century. The doubled 't' is the spelling trap here: it survives straight from Latin 'littera', and the silent shift to a softer middle sound in speech can tempt writers to drop one 't'.

How the word is built

• letter (a written character; from Latin littera)
• -ing (noun suffix marking the activity or its result)