mail

mail · noun/verb

imported

Definitions

noun/verb

  1. 1.

    Letters, packages, and parcels sent or delivered by the postal system.

  2. 2.

    To send something through the postal system.

  3. 3.

    Electronic messages sent via computer; email.

  4. 4.

    To send electronically.

  5. 5.

    (Historical) Armor made of interlocking metal rings; chain mail.

Forms

plural: mails

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    snail mail — traditional postal mail (as opposed to email)
  • •
    junk mail — unwanted advertising material
  • •
    mail order — buying goods by postal service
  • •
    express mail — fast postal delivery service
  • •
    certified mail — mail with proof of delivery
  • •
    chain mail — armor made of linked metal rings
  • •
    hate mail — hostile or threatening letters

Related words

See also: email, letter, post, postage
Synonyms: correspondence, letters, post

Etymology

From Old French male ("bag, wallet"), from Frankish malha, of Germanic origin. The meaning shifted from the bag used to carry letters to the letters themselves. The armor sense comes from a different Old French word maille ("mesh"), from Latin macula ("spot, mesh").