Pronunciation
- UK enPR: mÄl, IPA: /meɪ̯l/
- Rhymes: -eɪl
- Homophones: male
Origin 1
From Anglo-Norman male, meole et al., Old French male ("bag, wallet"), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *malhÅ ("bag, pouch"), from Proto-Indo-European *molko- ("leather pouch"). Compare Dutch maal.
Full definition of mail
Noun
- (now regional) A bag or wallet. from 13th c.
- 1499, John Skelton, The Bowge of Courte:What, loo, man, see here of dyce a bale;
A brydelynge caste for that is in thy male! - A bag containing letters to be delivered by post; the material conveyed by the postal service. from 17th c.Don't forget to pick up the mail on your way.
- 1823, The stranger in Liverpool; or, An historical and descriptive view of the town of Liverpool and its environs, Seventh Edition, T. Kaye, page 96,The following are the hours at which the letter-box of this office is closed for making up the several mails, and the hours at which each mail is despatched: ¶ ...
- 1887, John Houston Merrill (editor), The American and English Encyclopædia of Law, Volume I, Edward Thompson, page 121,If he retains the account, and permits several mails to pass without objecting to it, he will be held to have admitted its correctness.
- A person or vehicle that delivers such post; the postal service or system in general. from 17th c.He decided to send his declaration by mail.
- (chiefly US) (uncountable) The letters, parcels etc delivered to a particular address or person. from 19th c.
- (uncountable) Electronic mail, e-mail: a computer network–based service for sending, storing, and forwarding electronic messages. from 20th c.
- A trunk, box, or bag, in which clothing, etc., may be carried.
Usage notes
In the United States, mails (plural) can mean "the postal system".
Synonyms
- (postal system) post (UK, Ireland, other dialects?)
Derived terms
Verb
- (transitive) To send (a letter, parcel, etc.) through the mail.
- (transitive) To send by electronic mail.
Synonyms
- (send through the mail) post
Origin 2
From Middle English maille ("mail armor"), from Old French maille ("loop, stich"), from Latin macula ("blemish, mesh"), probably from Proto-Indo-European *smhâ‚-tlehâ‚‚, from *smehâ‚- ("smear, rub").
Alternative forms
Noun
- (uncountable) Armour consisting of metal rings or plates linked together.
- (nautical) 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.
- unknown date John Gay:We ... strip the lobster of his scarlet mail.
Derived terms
Origin 3
Middle English mal, male from Old English mÄl ("speech, contract, agreement") from Old Norse mál ("agreement, speech, lawsuit"). Akin to Old English mæl ("mÇ£l").