mail

Meanings

Noun

• A bag or wallet.
• A bag containing letters to be delivered by post.
• The material conveyed by the postal service.
• A stagecoach, train or ship that delivers such post.
• The postal service or system in general.
• The letters, parcels, etc. delivered to a particular address or person.
• Electronic mail, e-mail: a computer network–based service for sending, storing, and forwarding electronic messages.
• A trunk, box, or bag, in which clothing, etc., may be carried.
• Armour consisting of metal rings or plates linked together.
• A contrivance of interlinked rings, for rubbing off the loose hemp on lines and white cordage.
• Any hard protective covering of an animal, as the scales and plates of reptiles, shell of a lobster, etc.
• A spot on a bird's feather; by extension, a spotted feather.
• An old French coin worth half a denier.
• A monetary payment or tribute.
• Rent.
• Tax.

Verb

• To send (a letter, parcel, etc.) through the mail.
• To send by electronic mail.
• To contact (a person) by electronic mail.
• To arm with mail.
• To pinion.

Related

Similar words

• post

Origin

• From Middle English male, from Anglo-Norman male, Old French male ("bag, wallet"), from Frankish *malhu, from Proto-Germanic *malhō ("bag, pouch"), from Proto-Indo-European *molko- ("leather pouch"). Compare Dutch maal.
• From Middle English maille ("mail armor"), borrowed from Old French maille ("loop, stitch"), from Vulgar Latin, from Latin macula ("blemish, mesh"), probably from Proto-Indo-European *smh₁-tleh₂, from *smeh₁-.
• From Middle English mal, male from Old English māl ("speech, contract, agreement") from Old Norse mál ("agreement, speech, lawsuit"). Akin to Old English mǣl ("speech"). Related to Old English mǣlan (mell), maþelian. From *maþlą, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂d-, if so related to meet, and moot.