1787 as a term in botany; 1867 as a term in printing and publication; diminutive of leaf (n.) with -let.
A newspaperman asked the British authorities for a copy of the leaflets distributed in Germany by British airplanes. According to the London Daily Herald, his request was refused with the following answer: "Copies are not given out, as they might fall into enemy hands." [The Living Age magazine, Sept. 1939-Feb. 1940]
1765, "authenticated official report concerning some event, issued for the information of the public," from French bulletin (16c.), modeled on Italian bulletino, diminutive of bulletta "document, voting slip," itself a diminutive of Latin bulla "round object" (see bull (n.2)) with equivalent of Old French -elet (see -let). For use of balls in voting, see ballot (n.).
The word was used earlier in English in the Italian form (mid-17c.). Popularized by their use in the Napoleonic Wars as the name for dispatches sent from the front and meant for the home public (which led to the proverbial expression as false as a bulletin). Broadcast news sense of "any brief, notice or public announcement of news" is from 1925. Bulletin board "public board on which news and notices are posted" is from 1831; computer sense is from 1979.
early 15c., permitten, transitive, "allow (something) to be done, suffer or allow to be," from Old French permetre and directly from Latin permittere "let pass, let go, let loose; give up, hand over; let, allow, grant, permit," from per "through" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through") + mittere "let go, send" (see mission). Meaning "grant liberty or leave" is from 16c. Related: Permitted; permitting.
c. 1600, "allowing to pass through," from Medieval Latin *permissivus, from Latin permiss-, past-participle stem of permittere "to let go, let pass, let loose" (see permit (v.)). In sense of "tolerant, liberal" it is attested by 1946; by 1966 it had definite overtones of sexual freedom. Earlier it meant "permitted, allowed" (mid-15c.). Related: Permissively; permissiveness.
early 15c., omitten, "fail to use or do, fail or neglect to mention or speak of, to disregard," from Latin omittere "let go, let fall," figuratively "lay aside, disregard," from assimilated form of ob (here perhaps intensive) + mittere "let go, send" (see mission). Related: Omitted; omitting.
"allowable, proper to be allowed," early 15c., from Old French permissible (15c.) and directly from Medieval Latin permissibilis, from permiss-, past-participle stem of Latin permittere "let pass, let go; grant, permit" (see permit (v.)).
