mail

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[edit] English

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Homophones

[edit] Etymology 1

From Middle English male (bag, mail), from Old French male "bag, wallet", of Germanic origin, from Frankish *malha from Proto-Germanic *malho- (bag, pouch), from Proto-Indo-European *molko- (leather pouch). Akin to Old High German malaha, malha "wallet, bag", Middle Dutch male "bag"

[edit] Noun

Singular
mail

Plural
countable and uncountable; plural mails

mail (countable and uncountable; plural mails)

  1. (uncountable) regular delivery of letters and small parcels, see also post
  2. (not used in plural form) the organisation which operates such service (e.g. in Britain the Royal Mail)
  3. (now rare) a single batch of mail picked up by such a service
    • 1823, The stranger in Liverpool; or, An historical and descriptive view of the town of Liverpool and its environs, Seventh Edition,[1] 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,[2] 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.
  4. See mails.
  5. (uncountable) electronic mail, e-mail: a computer network–based service for sending, storing, and forwarding electronic messages
[edit] Synonyms
  • post (UK, Ireland, other dialects?)
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

[edit] Verb

Infinitive
to mail

Third person singular
mails

Simple past
mailed

Past participle
mailed

Present participle
mailing

to mail (third-person singular simple present mails, present participle mailing, simple past and past participle mailed)

  1. (transitive) to send (a letter or parcel) through the mail
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations

[edit] Adjective

mail (not comparable)

Positive
mail

Comparative
not comparable

Superlative
none (absolute)

  1. of or pertaining to mail/post
[edit] Translations

[edit] Etymology 2

From Middle English maille (mail armor), from Old French maille, from Latin macula (blemish, mesh), probably from Proto-Indo-European *smh₁-tleh₂, from *smeh₁- (smear, rub).

[edit] Noun

Mail

Singular
mail

Plural
uncountable

mail (uncountable)

  1. (uncountable) armour consisting of metal rings or plates linked together.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations

[edit] Adjective

mail (not comparable)

Positive
mail

Comparative
not comparable

Superlative
none (absolute)

  1. made of armoured material (a mail shirt)
[edit] Translations

[edit] Etymology 3

Middle English mal, male from Old English māl "speech, contract, agreement" from Old Norse māl "agreement, speech, lawsuit". Akin to Old English mǣl "speech"

[edit] Alternative spellings

[edit] Noun

Singular
mail

Plural
mails

mail (plural mails)

  1. (Chiefly Scottish) a monetary payment or tribute
  2. rent
  3. tax

[edit] Fiji Hindi

[edit] Etymology

From English mile (imperial measure of distance).

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Noun

mail

  1. mile

[edit] References


[edit] French

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Etymology 1

Latin malleus (hammer)

[edit] Noun

mail m. (plural mails)

  1. mallet
  2. (sports, historical) pall mall
  3. mall, promenade
  4. (Quebec) mall, shopping mall

[edit] Etymology 2

From English email

[edit] Noun

mail m. (plural mails)

  1. email
[edit] Synonyms

[edit] Italian

[edit] Etymology

English

[edit] Noun

mail f. inv.

  1. email

[edit] Romansch

[edit] Etymology

From Latin malum. Compare Romanian măr.

[edit] Noun

mail

  1. apple