air letter
- noun
- /ɛr ˈlɛtər/
- Archaic
:
aerograma
- The post office recommended using an air letter for faster delivery to international destinations.
Examples
-
Mrs. Rhodes's glance moves in an arc, settling on the air letter in Laila's lap.
Fiction book (1992) -
She picks up the mail and sets it on the couch, with the blue air letter from Wadallah on top of the pile.
Fiction book (1992) -
I received an air letter from my friend in Canada that was so light it barely weighed anything.
-
To save space, I folded the air letter into its own envelope before mailing it.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A written message sent to a person or organization, often by mail
1
9.1
A thin letter that folds into its own envelope for sending by air
A folded card that you write inside and seal before mailing
A letter sent by air to another country so it arrives faster
How Light
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a lightweight letter intended for sending by air/airmail' is directly derivable from combining 'air' (by airplane/airmail) with 'letter' (a posted message). This is a straightforward compound noun pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's basic meaning (the specific folded format is a form detail but does not reduce compositional transparency).
Etymology
Air letter comes from early air mail. To save space and money on planes, post offices made a single thin sheet that folded into its own envelope, so the air part shows it was for plane travel and the letter part shows it was a message. So, it means 'a lightweight letter sent by air mail'.