Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A name now given to the Gothic or Old English letter, which was introduced into England about the middle of the fourteenth century, and was the character generally used in manuscripts and in the first printed books. It is still, with various modifications, in common use in Germany.
- Written or printed in black-letter: as, a black-letter manuscript or book.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Written or printed in black letter.
- adjective Given to the study of books in black letter; that is, of old books; out of date.
- adjective Of or pertaining to the days in the calendar not marked with red letters as saints' days; -- compare
red-letter .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Attributive form of
black letter - noun Written or printed in black letter.
- noun Given to the study of books in black letter; old-fashioned.
- noun Of or relating to the days in the
calendar not marked with red letters as saints' days;unlucky ;inauspicious .
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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As the struggle for civil rights in the United States demonstrates, the black-letter law can give way to the moral imperatives of the moment.
Allan Gerson: Humanitarian Intervention or Regime Change in Libya: International Law as a Compass Allan Gerson 2011
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The NJ Supremes IGNORED the black-letter statutory law on 30-day must-issue.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Second Circuit Due Process Victory for Connecticut Carry Permit Holders 2010
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OrenWithAnE: Yes, I think a US Senator would not openly contradict a black-letter promise to do a very specific thing.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Is the Slaughter Solution constitutional? 2010
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As the struggle for civil rights in the United States demonstrates, the black-letter law can give way to the moral imperatives of the moment.
Allan Gerson: Humanitarian Intervention or Regime Change in Libya: International Law as a Compass Allan Gerson 2011
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OrenWithAnE: Yes, I think a US Senator would not openly contradict a black-letter promise to do a very specific thing.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Is the Slaughter Solution constitutional? 2010
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Yes, I think a US Senator would not openly contradict a black-letter promise to do a very specific thing.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Is the Slaughter Solution constitutional? 2010
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These are serious questions, which you surprisingly think can just be dismissed by a sentence of black-letter on how it works.
Discourse.net: Nation Mag Claims ICE has Network of Secret Detention Faciilities -- in the USA 2009
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But if he's aquitted, he CAN'T be held by your black-letter - so what happens?
Discourse.net: Nation Mag Claims ICE has Network of Secret Detention Faciilities -- in the USA 2009
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You can just ignore the problems and keep citing useless black-letter, while blaming Bush for everything, if that works for you, but real criminal lawyers will have to deal these problems.
Discourse.net: Nation Mag Claims ICE has Network of Secret Detention Faciilities -- in the USA 2009
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As the struggle for civil rights in the United States demonstrates, the black-letter law can give way to the moral imperatives of the moment.
Allan Gerson: Humanitarian Intervention or Regime Change in Libya: International Law as a Compass Allan Gerson 2011
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