I.a letter, a written sign or mark signifying a sound.
I. Lit.: “cubitum hercle longis litteris signabo jam usquequaque, si quis, etc.,” Plaut. Rud. 5, 2, 7: “quid hae locuntur litterae?” id. Bacch. 4, 7, 3; cf.: quid istae narrant? Tox. Perconctare ex ipsis; “ipsae tibi narrabunt,” id. Pers. 4, 3, 29: “sus rostro si humi A litteram impresserit,” Cic. Div. 1, 13, 23: “priscarum litterarum notae,” id. ib. 2, 41, 85: “maximis litteris incisum,” Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 63, § 154 fin.: “lenis appellatio litterarum,” id. Brut. 74, 159: “suavis appellatio litterarum,” Quint. 11, 3, 35: “quae si nostris litteris scribantur,” id. 12, 10, 28 litterarum ordine, in alphabetical order, Plin. 37, 9, 54, § 138: “verba primis litteris notare, Prob. de Not. Signif. 1 Huschke: digerere in litteram,” to arrange alphabetically, Sen. Ep. 68, 18: scire litteras, to be able to read and write, Plaut. Truc. 4, 2, 23; Vitr. 1, 1, 14: “nescire litteras,” not to be able to read and write, id. Clem. 2, 1, 2; Suet. Ner. 10: “scribere aureis litteris,” Gai. Inst. 2, 77: “scientia litterarum,” the art of writing, Dig. 29, 2, 93: “facere litteram or litteras,” to write, Plaut. As. 4, 1, 22; Cic. Ac. 2, 2, 6.—In the language of comedy: “homo trium litterarum, i. e. fur,” a thief, Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 46: litteram ex se longam facere, i. e. to make an I by hanging perpendicularly, to hang one's self: “neque quicquam meliust mihi, ut opinor, quam ex me ut faciam litteram longam, meum laqueo collum quando obstrinxero,” id. ib. 1, 1, 37: “littera salutaris, i. e. A. (absolvo) and tristis, i. e. C. (condemno), which were put on the voting-tablets,” Cic. Mil. 6, 15.—
II. Transf.
A. Sing.
1. A word, a line: “ad me litteram numquam misit,” Cic. Fam. 2, 17, 6: ad litteram, word for word, literally: “locum ad litteram subjeci,” Quint. 9, 1, 15.—
2. A handwriting: “Alexidis manum amabam, quod tam prope accedebat ad similitudinem tuae litterae,” Cic. Att. 7, 2, 3; cf.: “arguit ipsorum quos littera,” Juv. 13, 138 (v. also infra B. 1. fin.).—
B. Usually plur.
1. Littĕrae , ārum, f., a letter, epistle: litteras resignare, to unseal or open a letter, Plaut. Trin. 3, 3, 65: “ut litterarum ego harum sermonem audio,” id. Ps. 1, 1, 97; Cic. Att. 1, 13, 1: “dare alicui litteras ad aliquem,” id. Cat. 3, 4, 9: “litteras mittere,” id. Att. 5, 21, 2: “reddere alicui,” id. ib. 5, 21, 4: “accipere,” id. ib. 5, 21, 7: “remittere,” id. ib. 11, 16, 4: “nullas iis praeterquam ad te et ad Brutum dedi litteras,” id. Fam. 3, 7, 1: “queri apud aliquem per litteras,” id. Att. 5, 21, 13: invitare aliquem perlitteras id. ib. 13, 2, 2: “civitatum animos litteris temptare,” Caes. B. C. 1, 40, 1: litterae missae, a letter sent by a person: litterae allatae, a letter received: hence, liber litterarum missarum et allatarum, a letter-book: “L. M. (i. e. litterae missae) ... L. A. (i. e. litterae allatae), etc.,” Cic. Font. 4, 8; Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 71, § 167.—In poets also sometimes in sing.: “quam legis a rapta Briseide littera venit,” Ov. H. 3, 1; 5, 2; id. M. 9, 515; Tib. 3, 2, 27; Mart. 10, 73 al.—
2. A writing, document, paper: “litterae publicae,” Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 63, § 140; 2, 4, 16, § 35; esp. a written acknowledgment: “littera poscetur,” Ov. A. A. 1, 428.—
4. An edict, ordinance: “praetoris litterae,” Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 22, § 56: “litteras revocavit,” letter of appointment, commission, Suet. Vesp. 8. —
5. Written monuments, records, literature: “abest historia litteris nostris,” is wanting in our literature, Cic. Leg. 1, 2, 5: “Graecae de philosophia litterae,” philosophical literature, id. Div. 2, 2, 5: “genus hoc scriptionis nondum satis Latinis litteris illustratae,” id. Brut. 64, 228; id. Tusc. 1, 1, 1; id. Fin. 1, 2, 4: “Graecis litteris studere,” id. Brut. 20, 78: “damnum Hortensii interitu Latinae litterae fecerunt,” id. ib. 33, 125: “nullam artem litteris sine interprete et sine aliqua exercitatione percipi posse,” merely from books, id. Fam. 7, 19: “quod litteris exstet, Pherecydes primum dixit animos hominum esse sempiternos,” id. Tusc. 1, 16, 38: “parvae et rarae per eadem tempora litterae fuere,” Liv. 6, 1, 2; 7, 3, 6: “Etruscae,” id. 9, 36, 3: “paucissimos adhuc eloquentes litterae Romanae tulerunt,” Quint. 10, 1, 123: amor litterarum, id. prooem. 6.—
6. History, inasmuch as it is derived from written monuments: “cupidissimus litterarum fuit,” Nep. Cat. 3, 1; id. Pelop. 1: “parvae et rarae per eadem tempora litterae fuere,” Liv. 6, 1.—
7. Literary labor, composition: “omnis varietas litterarum mearum,” Cic. Fam. 15, 4, 12: “non nihil temporis tribuit litteris,” Nep. Hann. 13, 2.—
8. An inscription, Ov. M. 11, 706.—
9. Learning, the sciences, liberal education, scholarship, letters: “sit mihi orator tinctus litteris: audierit aliquid, legerit,” Cic. de Or. 2, 20, 85: “erant in eo plurimae litterae,” id. Brut. 76, 265: “homo communium litterarum, et politioris humanitatis non expers,” id. de Or. 2, 7, 28: “homo sine ingenio, sine litteris,” Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 44, § 98: “fuit in illo ingenium, ratio, memoria, litterae, cura, cogitatio, diligentia,” id. Phil. 2, 45, 116: “mihi nihil libri, nihil litterae, nihil doctrina prodest,” id. Att. 9, 10, 2: “litterarum scientia,” id. Brut. 42, 153: “litterarum coguitio,” id. de Or. 3, 32, 127: nescire litteras, to be without a liberal education, id. Brut. 74, 259: “altiores litterae,” magic, Plin. 14, 4, 5, § 51.—Comically of the art of love: Litteras didicisti; “quando scis, sine alios discere,” Plaut. Truc. 4, 2, 22.
