lettergramn.
/ˈlɛtəɡram/, U.S. /ˈlɛdərˌɡræm/ A message transmitted by telegraph, telex, or computer, and delivered in written form as part of the mail.Lettergrams are still used in Australia and South Africa, but elsewhere the term is disused or historical.
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society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > telegraphy > [noun] > telegraphic message > types of
telotype1850
cablegram1868
cable-message1877
phonogram1880
cable1883
ticking1888
aerogram1890
T.T.1893
petit bleu1898
Marconigram1902
radio-telegram1902
radiogram1903
wireless1903
news flash1904
teleflash1904
lettergram1908
day letter1910
night letter telegram1910
night telegraph letter1912
radio1915
printergram1932
teletype1933
greeting telegram1937
telemessage1941
overnight telegram1955
telex1957
1908 Yale Sci. Monthly Feb. 179 The company sends telegrams..for one cent a word, and accepts ‘lettergrams’ at half that figure. These ‘lettergrams’ are wired to their destination and then delivered by mail.
1911 World's Work 17 447/2 ‘Lettergrams’ of fifty words..for an inclusive fee of about two shillings over any distance.
1915 J. Webster Dear Enemy 19 When you feel so bursting with talk that only a hundred word telegram will relieve an explosion, at least turn it into a night lettergram.
1979 N.Y. Times 9 Sept. 26/3 Lettergrams were sent to major corporations asking for their support.
2001 S. Afr. Press Assoc. Newswire (Nexis) 14 May The rate of the lettergram remained unchanged at R1,40.
2009 K. Burke Stamp of Austral. xi. 208 The lettergram also went online in 1985, enabling businesses to send bulk mail-outs electronically.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1908