epistolary

e•pis•tol•ar•y (ih-PIS-tl-er-ee)

Definition:
adj
1. of, relating to, or suitable to a letter
2. contained in or carried on by letters
3. written in the form of a series of letters

n
a lectionary containing a body of liturgical epistles

Origin:
1656; from Fr. épistolaire, from L. epistolaris, from epistola "letter," from Gk. epistole "message, letter, command, commission," whether verbal or in writing, from epistellein "send to," from epi "to" + stellein "send"

Related:
Related Words: epistle, apostle

Sentence Examples:
• The new edition constituted in effect a nearly complete epistolary autobiography. It contained not less than a hundred and fifty of Stevenson's letters hitherto unpublished. - The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson

• My imprisonment has weakened me intellectually to such a degree that I find your epistolary gifts quite considerable. - Marjorie Daw, Thomas Bailey Aldrich

• It is a matter of common remark that the epistolary art has been killed by the penny post, not to speak of post-cards. - The Argosy, Various


Sources: Merriam-Webster, Online Etymology

Word-E: A Word-A-Day