The Collaborative International Dictionary
Black letter \Black" let`ter\ The old English or Gothic letter, in which the Early English manuscripts were written, and the first English books were printed. It was conspicuous for its blackness. See Type.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
early 17c., from black (adj.); so called to distinguish heavy, old-style printers' types from the ones coming into use then, which are the dominant modern forms, though a style of black letter was preserved in German into 20c.
Wiktionary
alt. 1 (context typography English) A Northern European style of type, with contrasting thick-and-thin, angular strokes forming upright letterforms, and usually set with a dark typographic colour on the page. 2 text set in black-letter type. 3 (context legal English) The basic standard elements for a particular field of law, which are generally known and free from doubt or dispute. n. 1 (context typography English) A Northern European style of type, with contrasting thick-and-thin, angular strokes forming upright letterforms, and usually set with a dark typographic colour on the page. 2 text set in black-letter type. 3 (context legal English) The basic standard elements for a particular field of law, which are generally known and free from doubt or dispute.
WordNet
n. a heavy typeface in use from 15th to 18th centuries [syn: Gothic]
Usage examples of "black letter".
A line of mailboxes came into view, and she saw her father's name on the last one in small, neat black lettering: Leo Gottbaum, private and unobtrusive, showing no awareness of style, no interest in presenting an image to the outside world.
On the right was a sign, black letters on bleached white board:qc it said.