Formes composées
letter | lettered |
| acceptance letter n | (for taking a job offer) | lettre d'embauche nf |
| | In her acceptance letter, Mary asked for confirmation of her starting salary. |
| acceptance letter n | US (for admission to university) | lettre d'admission nf |
| according to the letter adv | (according to law) | selon la loi adv |
| | | d'après la loi adv |
| | D'après la loi, elle est dans son tort. |
| according to the letter expr | (word for word) | à la lettre loc adv |
| | Calvin interprets the biblical text according to the letter. |
| | Calvin interprète le texte biblique à la lettre. |
aerogram,
aerogramme,
air letter,
airletter n | (thin stationary for use in airmail) | aérogramme nm |
| angry letter n | (letter of complaint) | lettre de réclamation nf |
| approval letter n | (document giving permission for [sth]) | lettre d'acceptation nf |
| black letter | (printing) (Imprimerie) | caractère gothique nm |
| block letter n | (style of lettering) | lettre d'imprimerie nf |
| block letter n | (hand-written capital letter) (écrite manuscrite) | majuscule, lettre majuscule nf |
| business letter n | (business correspondence) | courrier professionnel nm |
| | A letter to a friend is different from a more formal business letter. |
| caps npl | abbreviation (capital letters) | majuscules nfpl |
| | (informatique : touche de clavier) | Maj abr |
| | The title of the book should be in caps. |
| | Le titre du livre devrait être en majuscules. |
| capital letter n | often plural (alphabet: upper-case) | majuscule nf |
| | (Imprimerie) | capitale nf |
| | Sentences must start with a capital letter and end with a full stop. |
| | Toutes les phrases doivent commencer par une majuscule et finir par un point. |
case,
letter case n | (type: capitals or small letters) (Typographie) | casse nf |
| | In an email address, it makes no difference whether the case is upper or lower. |
| cash letter | (deposit list) | remise d'encaissement nf |
| cease-and-desist letter n | (law: letter to stop) (Droit américain) | ordonnance de cessation et d'abstention, décision de cessation et d'abstention nf |
| | | mise en demeure nf |
| | | injonction de cesser [qch] nf |
| chain letter | (ongoing letter) (lettre) | chaîne nf |
| comfort letter | (financial insurance) (Finance) | lettre d'intention, lettre de confort nf |
cover letter (US),
covering letter (UK) n | (job application) (avec un CV) | lettre de motivation nf |
| | To apply for the position, please send your resume and a cover letter. |
| | Pour postuler à ce poste, envoyez votre CV et une lettre de motivation. |
cover letter (US),
covering letter (UK) n | (letter providing additional information) | lettre d'accompagnement nf |
| | Julie posted the documentation with a covering letter. |
| | Julie posta les documents avec une lettre d'accompagnement. |
| dead letter n | (law not yet formally repealed) (loi) | non appliqué loc adj |
| dead letter n | (letter stuck in transit) | lettre non acheminée nf |
Dear John letter,
Dear John n | informal (letter ending relationship) | lettre de rupture nf |
| Note: Sometimes the use is extended to non-romantic relationships. |
| dismissal letter n | (employment termination) | lettre de licenciement nf |
| fan letter | (letter from fan) | lettre de fan nf |
| form letter n | (standardized correspondence) | lettre type nf |
| | Word-processing software is useful for producing form letters. |
| | Les logiciels de traitement de texte sont utiles pour produire des lettres types. |
| four-letter adj | (word: having four letters) (mot) | à quatre lettres loc adj |
| four-letter word n | (curse word, bad word) | gros mot nm |
| French letter n | UK, slang, dated (condom) (familier, vieilli) | capote anglaise nf |
| | (familier) | capote nf |
letter bomb,
also US: mail bomb n | (explosive device inside envelope) | lettre piégée nf |
| letter carrier | (mail carrier) | facteur, factrice nm, nf |
| letter drop | (slot in door) | fente pour le courrier nf |
| letter of complaint n | (written criticism) | lettre de réclamation nf |
| letter of credit n | (bill of exchange) | lettre de crédit nf |
| letter of marque | (license) (Histoire) | lettre de marque nf |
| the letter of the law n | (strict interpretation) (soutenu) | la lettre de la loi nf |
| | (courant) | to follow the letter of the law : suivre la la loi à la lettre loc v |
| | They followed the letter of the law to avoid any problems. |
| letter opener n | (bladed tool for opening envelopes) | coupe-papier nm inv |
letterbox,
letter box n | (slot, box for delivered mail) | boîte aux lettres, boîte à lettres nf |
| | Someone just put a pile of junk mail through my letterbox. |
letterbox,
letter box n | UK, informal (box for posting mail) | boîte aux lettres, boîte à lettres nf |
| | The letter box in the village is emptied at 6.30 pm. |
| love letter n | (letter expressing romantic feelings) | lettre d'amour nf |
| | He wrote her a love letter every day while he was away. |
| | Pendant son absence, il lui a écrit une lettre d'amour à tous les jours. |
| love letter to [sth] n | figurative (expression of affection) | déclaration d'amour nf |
| | | lettre d'amour nf |
| | The movie is his love letter to the city of Rome. |
| | Ce film est sa déclaration d'amour à la ville de Rome. |
| | Ce film est sa lettre d'amour à la ville de Rome. |
mail carrier,
letter carrier n | US (person employed to deliver post) | facteur, factrice nm, nf |
| | My dog barks at my mail carrier every day. |
| | Le chien aboie sur le facteur tous les jours. |
| night letter n | dated (overnight telegram) | courrier express nm |
| official letter n | (formal document) | lettre officielle nf |
| | | courrier officiel nm |
| open letter n | (letter published openly) | lettre ouverte nf |
| | She wrote an open letter to the newspaper praising the mayor of the town. |
| personal letter n | (intimate correspondence) | lettre personnelle nf |
| | The starlet enjoyed receiving personal letters from her many fans. In the age of texting and e-mail, the personal letter is in danger of becoming obsolete. |
| | La starlette aimait recevoir des lettres personnelles de ses nombreux fans. À l'ère de l'email et des textos, la lettre personnelle risque de devenir obsolète. |
poison pen letter,
poison-pen letter n | figurative (spiteful or defamatory letter) | lettre anonyme nf |
| | Someone in the village is writing poison-pen letters to his family. |
| promissory letter n | (document legally binding [sb] to purchase [sth]) | compromis de vente nm |
red letter,
red-letter n as adj | figurative (special, noteworthy) | mémorable adj |
| | (jour) | à marquer d'une pierre blanche loc adj |
red-letter day,
red letter day n | (noteworthy or memorable day) | journée mémorable nf |
| | | jour à marquer d'une pierre blanche nm |
| reference letter n | (statement in support of a job candidate) | lettre de recommandation nf |
| | When my former assistant applied for a better job, she asked me for a reference letter. |
| | Quand mon ancienne assistante a postulé pour un meilleur travail, elle m'a demandé une lettre de recommandation. |
| registered letter n | (mail: verified) | lettre recommandée nf |
| | | recommandé nm |
| scarlet letter n | historical, obsolete (red 'A' worn to indicate adulterer) (Histoire, États-Unis) | lettre écarlate nf |
| Note: Lettre « A » cousue sur les vêtements d'une femme adultère afin de la stigmatiser. |
| small letter n | (lowercase letter of the alphabet) (lettre) | minuscule nf |
thank-you note,
thank-you letter n | (letter expressing gratitude) | mot de remerciement nm |
| | Don't forget to send them a thank-you letter. |
| | N'oublie pas de lui envoyer un mot de remerciement. |
| to the letter expr | (literally) | à la lettre loc adv |
| | | scrupuleusement adv |
| | He followed Mr. Wilson's instructions to the letter. |
| | Il suivit les instructions de M.Wilson à la lettre. |
| to the letter expr | figurative (precisely, exactly) | à la lettre loc adv |
| | The illiterate slave followed his master's instructions to the letter. |
| | L'esclave analphabète suivait les instructions de son maître à la lettre. |
uppercase letter,
upper-case letter n | often plural (capital letter) | lettre majuscule, majuscule nf |
| | | lettre capitale, capitale nf |
| write a letter v expr | (compose handwritten correspondence) | écrire une lettre loc v |
| | Nowadays people are more inclined to email rather than write a letter. |