English Explanatory Dictionary

letter opener

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any of several devices for opening letters, either by breaking wax seals or (as is usually the case today) by cutting open their envelopes.
  2. A device shaped like a fixed-blade knife, usually with a blunt edge; the blunt edge does not slice the envelope so much as precisely tear it.
  3. The same sort of device but with a sharpened edge, designed to appeal to customers who enjoy a sharpened one (regardless of whether or not it truly outperforms the nonsharp counterpart).
  4. A device incorporating a small razor-style blade in the crotch of a U-shaped plastic handle; it slices the envelope while being, like a safety razor, unlikely to cut the user accidentally.

Pronunciation

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-letter opener.wav

Word forms

letter opener letter openers letter-opener

Related words

letterbox letter carrier

Translations

Afrikaans: briewemes Catalan: tallapapers Catalan: obrecartes Chinese: 開信刀 /开信刀 Dutch: briefopener Finnish: paperiveitsi French: coupe-papier German: Brieföffner Greek: χαρτοκόπτης Hungarian: papírvágó kés Hungarian: levélbontó kés Ido: paperokultelo Irish: scian pháipéir Italian: tagliacarte Japanese: ペーパーナイフ Macedonian: ноже за писма Polish: nóż do otwierania listów Polish: nóż do otwierania kopert Romanian: tăietor de hârtie Romanian: deschizător de scrisori Russian: нож для вскры́тия конве́ртов Russian: нож для вскры́тия пи́сем Russian: нож для конве́ртов Russian: нож для пи́сем Russian: разрезно́й но́жик Spanish: abrecartas Swedish: brevöppnare Swedish: brevkniv Swedish: papperskniv Turkish: zarf açacağı
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