letter opener

English

Alternative forms

  • letter-opener

Pronunciation

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Noun

letter opener (plural letter openers)

  1. Any of several devices for opening letters, either by breaking wax seals or (as is usually the case today) by cutting open their envelopes.
    1. A device shaped like a fixed-blade knife, usually with a blunt edge; the blunt edge does not slice the envelope so much as precisely tear it.
      Coordinate term: paperknife (sometimes broadly synonymous)
    2. The same sort of device but with a sharpened edge, designed to appeal to customers who enjoy a sharpened one (regardless of whether or not it truly outperforms the nonsharp counterpart).
    3. A device incorporating a small razor-style blade in the crotch of a U-shaped plastic handle; it slices the envelope while being, like a safety razor, unlikely to cut the user accidentally.

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