epistolary

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adjective

epis·to·lary i-ˈpi-stə-ˌler-ē

ˌe-pi-ˈstȯ-lə-rē

: of, relating to, or suitable to a letter

: contained in or carried on by letters

an endless sequence of … epistolary love affairs—

The Times Literary Supplement (London)

: written in the form of a series of letters

an epistolary novel

epistolary

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noun

plural epistolaries

: a lectionary containing a body of liturgical epistles

Did you know?

Epistolary was formed from the noun epistle, which refers to a composition written in the form of a letter to a particular person or group. In its original sense, epistle refers to one of the 21 letters (such as those from the apostle Paul) found in the New Testament. Epistle came to English in the 13th century, via Anglo-French and Latin, from the Greek noun epistolē, meaning "message" or "letter." Epistolē, in turn, came from the verb epistellein, meaning "to send to" or "to send from." Epistolary appeared in English four centuries after epistle and can be used to describe something related to or contained in a letter (as in "epistolary greetings") or composed of letters (as in "an epistolary novel").

Examples of epistolary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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Adjective

Their enormous influence, then and now, has inspired an epistolary tradition in the Black literary canon. —

Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2024 Zaillian shoots the epistolary exchange as if Tom and Mr. Greenleaf were talking to each other across the Atlantic: a personal address and, therefore, a personal let-down. —

Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2024

Noun

Almost all of the letters that Dickinson received were destroyed after her death, but her own surviving letters frequently complain about epistolary neglect. —

Kamran Javadizadeh, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2024 Baldwin frequently endeavored to turn his epistolary power into action—the man loved an open letter. —

Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for epistolary