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Glite Dictionary
runic letter

runic letter

1 9.9
A letter from an old Germanic alphabet used long ago in northern Europe
  • noun
  • /ˈruːnɪk ˈlɛtər/
  • Literature
translation icon : letra rúnica
  • The historian discovered an inscription written in runic letters on a Viking artifact.

Examples

  • Well, each runic letter stands for one of the 16 affekts, which are graded from most holy to most unholy.

    Midsommar (2019)

  • Ancient texts often include runic letters that reveal the beliefs of early Germanic tribes.

  • Scholars study runic letters to understand the language and culture of ancient Scandinavia.

Synonyms

rune
vsrunic letter
  • Literature
49 9.9

A letter from ancient northern alphabets used in Scandinavia long ago

refers to a single alphabet symbol from those same ancient Germanic systems

Surface Forms

runic letter singular
runic letters plural

Morphology

runic + letter

The meaning is directly compositional: 'runic' (relating to runes/the runic alphabet) combined with 'letter' (a single written symbol) yields 'a letter of the runic alphabet.' This follows a regular adjective+noun pattern and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.

Etymology

Runic letter comes from the old word rune, which meant a secret or carved sign; people cut these marks into wood or stone and often believed they had magic. That's why a runic letter means 'a letter from an ancient alphabet used in Scandinavia'.