black letter
Speech parts
1. black letter - Noun
2. black letter - Adjective
Meaning
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.
Written or printed in black letter; as, a black-letter manuscript or book.
Given to the study of books in black letter; that is, of old books; out of date.
Of or pertaining to the days in the calendar not marked with red letters as saints' days. Hence: Unlucky; inauspicious.
Source: Webster's dictionaryAlternative names
black-letter
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Examples
Blackletter L In common law legal systems, black letter laws are the well-established technical legal rules that are no longer subject to reasonable dispute.
Bradford v. Huntington, the phrase " black letter " was used: "It is seldom that a case in our time savors so much of the black letter, but the course of decisions in New York renders it unavailable.
The phrase "black-letter law" was used in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court case Naglee v. Ingersoll, 7 Pa. 185 (1847).
In their heyday of the first half of the 17th century, they were printed in black-letter or gothic type and included multiple, eye-catching illustrations, a popular tune title, as well as an alluring poem.
Other than the obvious black letter editions, it is commonly portrayed as bound in leather of various types and having metal clasps.
It is, however, printed in Roman instead of black letter type."