mail

1
[ meyl ]
See synonyms for: mailmailedmailermailing on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

  2. 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.

Idioms about mail

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

Origin of mail

1
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

Words that may be confused with mail

Words Nearby mail

Other definitions for mail (2 of 3)

mail2
[ 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.

  1. 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.

Origin of mail

2
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”; cf. macula

Other words from mail

  • mailless, adjective

Other definitions for mail (3 of 3)

mail3

or maill

[ meyl ]

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

Origin of mail

3
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”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mail (1 of 4)

mail1

/ (meɪl) /


noun
  1. Also called (esp Brit): post letters, packages, etc, that are transported and delivered by the post office

  2. the postal system

  1. a single collection or delivery of mail

  2. a train, ship, or aircraft that carries mail

  3. short for electronic mail

  4. (modifier) of, involving, or used to convey mail: a mail train

verb(tr)
  1. mainly US and Canadian to send by mail: Usual Brit word: post

  2. to contact (a person) by electronic mail

  1. to send (a message, document, etc) by electronic mail

Origin of mail

1
C13: from Old French male bag, probably from Old High German malha wallet

Derived forms of mail

  • mailable, adjective
  • mailability, noun

British Dictionary definitions for mail (2 of 4)

mail2

/ (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

Origin of mail

2
C14: from Old French maille mesh, from Latin macula spot

Derived forms of mail

  • mail-less, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for mail (3 of 4)

mail3

/ (meɪl) /


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

Origin of mail

3
Old English māl terms, from Old Norse māl agreement

British Dictionary definitions for mail (4 of 4)

mail4

/ (meɪl) /


noun
  1. Australian 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