french letter
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.71 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "‘So you’re fifteen – and you know the function of a “French letter”? You are familiar with its use?’ ‘I know what it’s for, sir, yes.’"
- "“I suppose it’s too much to hope that you have a question about gonorrhea. Those questions are so much easier to answer.”[…] “I was going to ask about what you said earlier. That you’d... that you’d... not used a French letter in eighteen months.”"
Etymology
From French + letter. Compare earlier French pox, French-sick (“syphilis”), or later French safe, French tickler (“condom”), or French kiss. Attested from the 19th century.