leta, OS. latan, D. laten, G. lassen, OHG. lazzan, Icel. lata, Sw. låta, Dan. lade, Goth. letan, and
L. lassus weary. The original meaning seems to have been, to let loose, let go, let drop. Cf. Alas,
Late, Lassitude, Let to hinder.]
1. To leave; to relinquish; to abandon. [Obs. or Archaic, except when followed by alone or be.]
He . . . prayed him his voyage for to let.
Chaucer.
Yet neither spins nor cards, ne cares nor frets,
But to her mother Nature all her care she lets.
Spenser.
Let me alone in choosing of my wife.
Chaucer. 2. To consider; to think; to esteem. [Obs.] Chaucer.
3. To cause; to make; — used with the infinitive in the active form but in the passive sense; as, let make,
i. e., cause to be made; let bring, i. e., cause to be brought. [Obs.]
This irous, cursed wretch
Let this knight's son anon before him fetch.
Chaucer.
He . . . thus let do slay hem all three.
Chaucer.
Anon he let two coffers make.
Gower. 4. To permit; to allow; to suffer; — either affirmatively, by positive act, or negatively, by neglecting to restrain
or prevent.
In this sense, when followed by an infinitive, the latter is commonly without the sign to; as to let us walk,
i. e., to permit or suffer us to walk. Sometimes there is entire omission of the verb; as, to let [to be or to
go] loose.
Pharaoh said, I will let you go.
Ex. viii. 28.
If your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is.
Shak. 5. To allow to be used or occupied for a compensation; to lease; to rent; to hire out; — often with out; as,
to let a farm; to let a house; to let out horses.
6. To give, grant, or assign, as a work, privilege, or contract; — often with out; as, to let the building of
a bridge; to let out the lathing and the plastering.
The active form of the infinitive of let, as of many other English verbs, is often used in a passive sense; as,
a house to let This form of expression conforms to the use of the Anglo-Saxon gerund with to (dative
infinitive) which was commonly so employed. See Gerund, 2. " Your elegant house in Harley Street
is to let." Thackeray. In the imperative mood, before the first person plural, let has a hortative force. "
Rise up, let us go." Mark xiv. 42. " Let us seek out some desolate shade." Shak.
To let alone, to leave; to withdraw from; to refrain from interfering with. — To let blood, to cause blood
to flow; to bleed. — To let down. (a) To lower. (b) To soften in tempering; as, to let down tools,
cutlery, and the like. — To let drive or fly, to discharge with violence, as a blow, an arrow, or stone.
See under Drive, and Fly. — To let in or into. (a) To permit or suffer to enter; to admit. (b) To insert,
or imbed, as a piece of wood, in a recess formed in a surface for the purpose. To let loose, to remove
restraint from; to permit to wander at large. — To let off. (a) To discharge; to let fly, as an arrow; to fire
the charge of, as a gun. (b) To release, as from an engagement or obligation. [Colloq.] — To let out.
(a) To allow to go forth; as, to let out a prisoner. (b) To extend or loosen, as the folds of a garment; to
enlarge; to suffer to run out, as a cord. (c) To lease; to give out for performance by contract, as a job.
(d) To divulge. — To let slide, to let go; to cease to care for. [Colloq.] " Let the world slide." Shak.
