arch. Forms: 1 lettan, 2–5 letten, 3 lætten, laten, 3–5 lat(te, 3–6 lette, 4 leitt, 4–5 lete, 4–7 lett, 5 late, (leit), lettyn, 7 Sc. lat, 3– let. Pa. t. 3 lettede, 4 let, lettide, Sc. lettit, -yt, letyt, 4–7 letted, 5 lettid, -yd. Pa. pple. 3 ilet, ilette, 4 lated, y-lat, Sc. lettit, 4–5 lettid, 4–5, 7 y-let, 4–6 lett(e, 4–9 letted, 5 y-lettyd, 5–6 lettyd, (8 letten), 4– let. [OE. lęttan = OFris. letta, OS. lettian (Du. letten), OHG. lezzan, lezzen (MHG. lezzen, letȥen), ON. letja to hinder, Goth. latjan intr. to delay, f. OTeut. *lato- LATE a.]
1. trans. To hinder, prevent, obstruct, stand in the way of (a person, thing, action, etc.).
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xxxvi. § 4. Ac ic þe halsiʓe ðæt ðu me no leng ne lette, ac ʓetæc me þone weʓ.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom., II. 336. Hwi wille ʓe lettan ure siþfæt?
c. 1200. Ormin, 14117. Swa summ þe waterr erneþþ forþ, Ȝiff þatt itt nohht ne letteþþ.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 139. Seint Iohan hit wið seide and lettede hit bi his mihte.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter cxviii. 60. I am redy and i am noght lettid.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, III. 241. The rayne thus lettyt the fechtyn.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xix. 87. Þai schuld see na thing þat schuld lette þaire deuocioun.
c. 1450. St. Cuthbert (Surtees), 1141. Bot þai war lett be wynd and flode.
1526. Tindale, 1 Pet. iii. 7. That youre prayers be not lett.
1552. Bk. Com. Prayer, Pref., Beyng at home, and not being otherwyse reasonably letted.
1584. Cogan, Haven Health, ccxii. (1636), 216. Much meat eaten at night, grieveth the stomack, and letteth naturall rest.
1647. H. More, Song of Soul, II. i. III. xii. And her bright flowing hair was not ylet By Arts device.
1650. Trapp, Comm. Exod. 26. There was som man there … which disturbed and letted all his doings.
1658. Bromhall, Treat. Specters, II. 201. [An] open plain place, and letted with no brambles or shades.
1725. Bradley, Fam. Dict., s.v. Tea, Those who have a mind to … study by Night, will find themselves no ways letten or embarrassed.
1799. S. Freeman, Town Off., 262. Persons who wilfully let or hinder any sheriff or constable.
1814. Scott, Ld. of Isles, VI. xxiii. No spears were there the shock to let.
1856. Ruskin, Mod. Paint., IV. V. vii. § 6. None letting them in their pilgrimage.
1867. Ingelow, Story Doom, IV. 21. Pray you let us not; We fain would greet our mother.
1885–94. R. Bridges, Eros & Psyche, July, ii. If ’tis so, her child Will be a god, and she a goddess styled, Which, though I die to let it, shall not be.
† b. with infinitive or clause, indicating the action from which one is hindered. Obs.
a. 1023. Wulfstan, Hom., lv. (Napier), 285. Gyf þonne þissa þreora þinga æniʓ hwylcne man lette, þæt hine to ðam fæstene ne onhaʓie.
c. 1205. Lay., 22009. What letteð þene fisc to uleoten to þan oðere.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, X. 320. I trow thai sall lettit be To purchas mair in the cuntre.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 1034. Whan a man was set on o degree He lette nat his felawe for to see.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. IV. 239. Conscience hym lette, Þat he ne felde nat hus foes.
1419. Surtees Misc. (1888), 14. Rutes, wedys and erthe … the whilk lettys the water to hafe the ryght issue.
1529. Supplic. to King (E.E.T.S.), 56. Whereby they be letted to execute their offyce.
1532. Hervet, Xenophon’s Househ. (1768), 9. What letteth you, that ye may not haue the same science?
1570–6. Lambarde, Peramb. Kent (1826), 160. Al the Popish ceremonies of espousing the Sea … cannot let, but that the Sea continually by little and little withdraweth it selfe from their Citie.
1591. Shaks., Two Gent., III. i. 113. What letts but one may enter at her window? Ibid. (1601), Twel. N., V. i. 256. If nothing lets to make vs happie both.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turks (1621), 528. But the consideration of this war letted that he did not at first comming oppresse him.
1612. Drayton, Poly-olb., xv. 17. They suddainly reply, what lets you should not see [etc.].
1622. Bacon, Hen. VII., 129. Hee could not let her to dispose of her owne.
a. 1633. Lennard, trans. Charron’s Wisd., I. xiv. § 2 (1670), 51. I let no man to sing.
c. const. from, † of (OE. genitive).
a. 1000. Prose Life Guthlac, v. (1848), 30. We þe þæs nu nellað lettan þæs þu ær ʓeþoht hæfdest.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 352. Monie þinges muwen letten him of his jurneie.
c. 1300. Havelok, 2253. Mouthe noþing him þer-fro lette.
? 13[?]. Cursor M., 27691 (Cott. Galba). And þus þai let gude men of gude lose.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. V. 303. What he lent ȝow of owre lordes good to lette ȝow fro synne.
1430–40. Lydg., Bochas, I. xviii. (1554), 33 b. Thou hast (quod he) no lordship of ye sunne; Thy shadowe letteth his bemes fro my tunne.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, VII. xxix. 260. Whan a good knyghte doth soo wel vpon somme day, it is no good knyghtes parte to lette hym of his worship.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, lxxxviii. 280. She coulde not let him of his enterpryse.
1588. J. Udall, Diotrephes (Arb.), 32. These men … are letted and stopped from dooing those notable dueties of their calling.
1611. Bible, Exod. v. 4. Wherfore doe ye let the people from their workes?
1666. Dryden, Ann. Mirab., ccxxii. And now, no longer letted of his prey, He leaps up at it with enraged desire.
1859. Tennyson, Elaine, 96. ‘Sir King, mine ancient wound is hardly whole, And lets me from the saddle.’
1866. J. H. Newman, Gerontius, iii. 22. Soul. What lets me now from going to my Lord? Angel. Thou art not let.
1870. Morris, Earthly Par., I. I. 228. And let none think that any brazen wall Can let the Gods from doing what shall be.
† d. with double object. Obs.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 12418. Ioseph þam it letted noght. Ibid., 28253. And haue i thoru mi frauwardnes letted oþer men þaire mes.
1390. Gower, Conf., II. 72. Ther was no ston … Which mihte letten hem the weie.
a. 1440. Sir Degrev., 1583. A gret buschement hadde he (sette) … And thouȝth syre Degrivaunt lette The wayes ful grene.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. 742. We shall fynde none that wyll let us the way.
† e. absol. To hinder, to be a hindrance. Obs.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. III. 152. Heo lihth aȝeyn the lawe and letteth so faste, That feith may not han his forth hir florins gon so thikke.
1382. Wyclif, Heb. xii. 15. That no roote of bitternesse vpward burionynge lette [Vulg. impediat].
1535. Coverdale, 2 Thess. ii. 7. Tyll he which now onely letteth, be taken out of the waye.
1572. J. Jones, Bathes of Bath, III. 22 b. Not without advisement, and censure to speak it, what letteth?
1597. Morley, Introd. Mus., Annot., You may … fall to the fourth, in the due order of the six notes, if the property let not.
1642. Rogers, Naaman, 16. If sin had not letted.
† 2. intr. To check or withhold oneself, to desist, refrain; to omit to do (something). Obs.
Coincident with LET v.1 2 b, 2 c, to which some of these examples may belong; but the instances in Chaucer with weak conjugation and double t seem not to admit of such an explanation. Prob. in the intransitive use the two verbs were confused.
[c. 1330 etc.: see LET v.1 2 b.]
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, II. 1040 (1089). Ther-with a þousand tymes er he lette, He cussed þo þe lettre þat he shette.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XIX. 210. Hym worthit neyd to pay the det That na man for till pay may let.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 313. Here may we see openliche hou crist lettede not for loue of petre to reproue hym sharpliche.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Melib., ¶ 435. The cause final was for to sle thy doghter; it letted nat in as muche as in hem was.
1390. Gower, Conf., II. 51. A gret mervaile it is forthi, How that a Maiden wolde lette, That sche hir time ne besette To haste unto that ilke feste, Wherof the love is al honeste.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 934. He laid on þat loodly, lettyd he noght, With dynttes full dregh, till he to dethe paste.
c. 1460. Play Sacram., 848. To tell yow the trowth I wylle nott lett.
1535–1653. [see LET v.1 2 b].
† b. To delay, tarry, wait. Obs.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., 2167, Ariadne. And in that yle half a day he lette. Ibid. (c. 1386), Shipman’s T., 250. And doun he gooth, no lenger wolde he lette. Ibid., Clerk’s T., 333. And to his paleys, er he lenger lette,… Conveyed hir.
c. 1435. Torr. Portugal, 2058. He bare it to the cite grett, There the kyng his fader lett, As a lord of jentille blood.
