mail-order
[ meyl-awr-der ]
/ ˈmeɪlˌɔr dər /
|
adjective
pertaining to or obtained by mail order: a dozen mail-order rosebushes.
verb (used with object)
to order (merchandise) by mail: to mail-order fruitcakes for Christmas.
RELATED CONTENT
How To Use The SlashThe slash (/)—sometimes called a slant, a solidus, a stroke, or a virgule—is a commonly employed symbol in the English language. Whatever you want to call this piece of punctuation, its role in English has greatly changed over time. The word slash first entered English in the late 14th century as a verb to describe the cutting movement of a weapon, a word derived from …
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
mail flag, mail merging, mail order, mail-cheeked, mail-in, mail-order, mail-order bride, mail-order house, mail-out, mailable, mailbag
Origin of mail-order
First recorded in 1865–70
Definition for mail-order (2 of 2)
mail order
noun
an order for goods received or shipped through the mail.
the business of selling merchandise through the mail.
Origin of mail order
An Americanism dating back to 1865–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for mail-order
British Dictionary definitions for mail-order
mail order
noun
an order for merchandise sent by post
- a system of buying and selling merchandise through the post
- (as modifier)a mail-order firm
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
Word Origin and History for mail-order
mail-order
1875, from mail (n.1) + order. Before television and the Internet, the bane of retailers and shop-owners.
The origin, foundation and principle of mail order trading is universally recognized as wrong. It was conceived in iniquity and brought forth in despair as the world's greatest destructive medium. Mail Order Trading was born in the brain of knaves and thieves who fired their building for insurance profits, then sold the salvaged and damaged stock to the unsuspecting sons of man in distant territory. [Thomas J. Sullivan, "Merchants and Manufacturers on Trial," Chicago, 1914]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper