letterhead

15 3.5

Paper with a company's name and address printed at the top for official letters

noun
/ˈlɛtərˌhɛd/

Formal

: membrete

You might also be shocked at how many people used the letterhead of their current institution to apply for a new job.
letterhead and business cards
letterhead and business
letterhead and website

And Hoover wrote letterhead memoranda that summer to the CIA.

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Examples

A letter of introduction using Benton County Environmental Health Division letterhead was sent to the businesses identified for this survey.

Academic text (1994)
I'm looking at a letterhead with the name McDonald's on it.

The Founder (2016)
Raise your hand if your name is on the company letterhead.

Nine Lives (2016)
But a week later, I received a letter on his office letterhead:

Fiction book (2002)
The certified letter was not on company letterhead or in a company-branded envelope.

Blog text (11)
Zelinsky's Pennsylvania State letterhead bore the notation "An Equal Opportunity Employer."

Academic text (2006)
For the rare inquiry that comes by postal mail, anything not on company letterhead is suspect, and anything handwritten should be tossed.

Academic text (2010)
As the Philly.com story points out, the event is being advertised on FOP letterhead and on its website.

Blog text (15)
On his own dime and time, Thomas did more pro bono work than any lawyer I know and, for that and more, we honor his name on our letterhead tonight and from now on.

John Henry Balch: Congressional Medal of Honor (2018)
The official announcement was printed on company letterhead to ensure its authenticity.

How Official

letterhead

Formal

15 3.5

notepaper

2 1.0

Surface Forms

letterhead singular

letterheads plural

Morphology

letterhead = letter + head (transparent) = letter + head

The meaning is directly the 'head' (top/heading) of a 'letter', a clear compound whose components map straightforwardly to the sense.

Etymology

Letterhead is a simple compound of letter ('written message') and head ('top'), so it literally names the printed top of a page that shows a person or company's name and address. This is why a letterhead is used for official letters: it shows who a document comes from and makes it look professional.