mail

¹

[ meyl ]

noun

1. letters, packages, etc., that are sent or delivered by means of a postal system:

   Storms delayed delivery of the mail.

2. a single collection of such letters, packages, etc., as sent or delivered:

   to open one's mail; to find a bill in the mail; The mail for England was put on the noon plane.

3. Often mails. a system, usually operated or supervised by the national government, for sending or delivering letters, packages, etc.; a postal system: Some people don't trust the mails.

   The travel brochures arrived by mail.

   Some people don't trust the mails.

4. a train, boat, etc., as a carrier of postal matter.
5. email ( def ).

adjective

1. of or relating to mail.

verb (used with object)

1. to send by mail, as by placing in a mailbox; transmit by a postal system.
2. to transmit by email.

verb (used without object)

1. to be sent by a postal system:

   Tax forms are mailing today.

2. to transmit messages by email:

   We only mail to people who sign up on our website.

mail

²

[ meyl ]

noun

1. flexible armor of interlinked rings.
2. any flexible armor or covering, as one having a protective exterior of scales or small plates.
3. Textiles. an oval piece of metal pierced with a hole through which the warp ends are threaded, serving as an eyelet on a heddle or especially on the harness cords of a Jacquard loom.

verb (used with object)

1. to clothe or arm with mail.

mail

³

or maill

[ meyl ]

noun

, Scot.

1. monetary payment or tribute, especially rent or tax.

mail

¹

/ meɪl /

noun

1. a type of flexible armour consisting of riveted metal rings or links
2. the hard protective shell of such animals as the turtle and lobster

verb

1. tr to clothe or arm with mail

mail

²

/ meɪl /

noun

1. informal.
   a rumour or report, esp a racing tip

mail

³

/ meɪl /

noun

1. Also called (esp Brit)post letters, packages, etc, that are transported and delivered by the post office
2. the postal system
3. a single collection or delivery of mail
4. a train, ship, or aircraft that carries mail
5. See electronic mail
   short for electronic mail
6. modifier of, involving, or used to convey mail

   a mail train

verb

1. to send by mail Usual Brit wordpost
2. to contact (a person) by electronic mail
3. to send (a message, document, etc) by electronic mail

mail

⁴

/ meɪl /

noun

1. archaic.
   a monetary payment, esp of rent or taxes

Derived Forms

• ˈmail-less, adjective
• ˌmailaˈbility, noun
• ˈmailable, adjective

Other Words From

• mailless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mail¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English noun mal(l)e, mail(e), maille “bag, pouch,” from Old French mal(l)e “peddler's basket, trunk, mail coach,” from Germanic; compare Old High German mal(a)ha “satchel, bag”; verb derivative of the noun

Origin of mail²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English maille, maill(e) “one of the rings of which armor was composed,” from Old French mail(l)e, male, from Latin macula “spot, one of the interstices in a net, a mesh”; macula

Origin of mail³

First recorded before 1150; Middle English mol(e), moul, male, late Old English māl “lawsuit, legal action, agreement,” from Old Norse māl “speech, stipulation, legal case, agreement,” cognate with Old English mǣl “speech, conversation” and mæthel “assembly, meeting”

Word History and Origins

Origin of mail¹

C14: from Old French maille mesh, from Latin macula spot

Origin of mail²

C13: from Old French male bag, probably from Old High German malha wallet

Origin of mail³

Old English māl terms, from Old Norse māl agreement

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. copy the mail, Citizens Band Radio Slang. to monitor or listen to a CB transmission.

Example Sentences

It is unclear how the injunction will impact the mail system.

From Washington Post

Throughout summer they were sending us e-mails suggesting there would be some sort of hybrid model where some classes are virtual, some are in person.

From Fortune

California will start proactively mailing ballots to registered voters, joining universal vote-by-mail states such as Colorado.

From Washington Post

He has also ordered that ballots be mailed to every registered Golden State voter.

From Popular-Science

In some states, voting by mail is a widespread, well-oiled process, but in others it was limited before the pandemic.

From ProPublica

“We went on to Tramp…He was the most hideous dancer I had ever seen,” she tells the Mail.

From The Daily Beast

He said the video was “a promotional thing” that he received in the mail at his church office.

From The Daily Beast

I knew because I rifled through his mail that terrible October morning.

From The Daily Beast

Hitchcock arrives about ten o'clock, reads his mail, and answers the few phone calls he gets.

From The Daily Beast

“For the record, I do not believe unions belong in government—including the police force,” Sherk said in an e-mail.

From The Daily Beast

So it went, the time passed, and he could scarcely wait until the stage reached the little town where he now received his mail.

From Project Gutenberg

Under it the preachers sometimes paused on their return from the postoffice where they received their mail every afternoon.

From Project Gutenberg

As soon as he has been appointed it is the duty of the referee to notify him in person or by mail of his appointment.

From Project Gutenberg

"I received this letter by the afternoon mail," said Mr. Carr, taking one from the safe enclosure of his pocket-book.

From Project Gutenberg

Mail matter may be carried by private persons, but this is limited to special trips.

From Project Gutenberg