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View synonyms for mail

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.


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. 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. short for electronic mail
  6. modifier of, involving, or used to convey mail

    a mail train

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mail

2

/ 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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. tr to clothe or arm with mail
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mail

3

/ meɪl /

noun

  1. archaic.
    a monetary payment, esp of rent or taxes
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mail

4

/ meɪl /

noun

  1. informal.
    a rumour or report, esp a racing tip
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈmailable, adjective
  • ˌmailaˈbility, noun
  • ˈmail-less, adjective
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Other Words From

  • mailless adjective
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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”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mail1

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

Origin of mail2

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

Origin of mail3

Old English māl terms, from Old Norse māl agreement
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Idioms and Phrases

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

The company said the decision carefully considered "balancing affordability with the increasing cost of delivering mail".

From BBC

Denmark had a universal postal service for 400 years until the end of 2023, but as digital mail services have taken hold, the use of letters has fallen dramatically.

From BBC

"When I received that in the mail, a box of your preserves it was probably one of the most glamorous moments of my life," said Kaling.

From BBC

She was met with a wave of backlash when she went public in 2017, receiving hate mail and online abuse.

From BBC

After completing a project, the artists mail the work to Miller who frames and then ships it to the families.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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