letter of intent
8
5.1
- noun
- /ˈlɛtər əv ɪnˈtɛnt/
- Formal
:
carta de intención
- Uh, Derrick flew up to Maine this week to sign his letter of intent.
- sign a letter of intent
He pulled out an iPad and both men signed a letter of intent.
- He pulled out an iPad and both men signed a letter of intent.
- We then summarize those meetings using AI and then had AI create a draft letter of intent for the acquisition.
- OK, so I signed a letter of intent and then my academic advisor would not write a letter saying that I could I could predict.
Examples
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Prospects have the next week to sign their letter of intent or risk waiting until the spring period.
Blog text (18) -
And her official letter of intent arrived at the basketball office on Wednesday.
Blog text (2) -
I will follow up with a letter of intent.
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- But you need a letter of intent.
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All I need is a letter of intent.
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And you have this letter of intent?
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It's a letter of intent for your son to sign.
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We got a few more things to work out, but we already got a letter of intent.
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Conover signed a letter of intent with Indiana yesterday afternoon.
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Interested candidates should submit a resume and letter of intent to Ms. Taylor at staylor@aii.edu by Feb. 13.
How Binding
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a formal letter expressing an intention' is directly and compositionally derived from 'letter' (a written message) + 'intent' (aim/purpose) with the linking preposition 'of'. This straightforward noun-of-noun pattern is common in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Letter of intent comes from the simple practice of writing a short letter that states a person's intent, a clear 'plan' or 'promise' about what they will do before a full agreement is signed. That's why it now means an official, often not final, written statement showing someone's 'intentions' before they sign a full agreement.