Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A variety of spelling that uses numbers and symbols that approximate the shape of certain letters, using for example 1 and 5 for i and s, used primarily in texting and other typed electronic communication.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One portion; a lot.
  • noun A list of candidates for any office.
  • noun See leat.
  • To let on; pretend; feign.
  • A dialectal form of lite, little.
  • noun An ancient English court; originally, the assembly of the men of a township for administering the law of the community. See court-leet.
  • noun The district subject to the jurisdiction of a court-leet.
  • noun The day on which a court-leet was held; also, the right to hold such a court, which in later times could be granted to a baron.
  • noun A dialectal form of light.
  • A dialectal form of light.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • of let, to allow.
  • noun Scot. A portion; a list, esp. a list of candidates for an office.
  • noun (Eng. Hist.) A court-leet; the district within the jurisdiction of a court-leet; the day on which a court-leet is held.
  • noun [Obs.] a feast or merrymaking in time of leet.
  • noun (Zoöl.) The European pollock.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Scotland A portion or list, especially a list of candidates for an office.
  • verb obsolete Simple past of let.
  • noun zoology The European pollock.
  • noun UK, obsolete A regular court in which the certain lords had jurisdiction over local disputes, or the physical area of this jurisdiction.
  • noun Internet slang Abbreviation of leetspeak.
  • adjective Of or relating to leetspeak.
  • adjective slang Possessing outstanding skill in a field; expert, masterful.
  • adjective slang Having superior social rank over others; upper class, elite.
  • adjective slang Awesome, typically to describe a feat of skill; cool, sweet.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From l33t, alteration and leet respelling (using 3 for E) of elite (in reference to the use of such spellings by those with elite, or privileged, access status on early computer bulletin boards ).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Compare Old English hlēte, *hlīete (“share, lot”), cognate with Old Norse hleyti ("share, portion").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Originated 1400–50 from late Middle English lete ("meeting"), from Anglo-Norman lete and Medieval Latin leta, possibly from Old English gelǣte ("crossroads").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

An aphetic form of elite.

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Examples

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  • Scots - a list of candidates for a job, contract, etc.

    December 26, 2007