Adjacent Words

Mail definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MAIL, n. [L.macula.]
1. A coat of steel net-work, formerly worn for defending the body against swords, poniards, etc. The mail was of two sorts, chain and plate mail; the former consisting of iron rings, each having four others inserted into it; the latter consisting of a number of small lamins of metal, laid over one another like the scales of a fish, and sewed down to a strong linen or leathern jacket.
2. Armor; that which defends the body.
We strip the lobster of his scarlet mail.
We read also of shirts of mail, and gloves of mail.
3. In ships, a square machine composed of rings interwoven, like net-work, used for rubbing off the loose hemp on lines and white cordage.
4. A rent. Also, a spot.
MAIL, n. A bag for the conveyance of letters and papers, particularly letters conveyed from one post office to another, under public authority.
MAIL, v.t. To put on a coat of mail or armor; to arm defensively.
1. To inclose in a wrapper and direct to a post office. We say, letters were mailed for Philadelphia.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
2: the system whereby messages are transmitted via the post office; "the mail handles billions of items every day"; "he works for the United States mail service"; "in England they call mail `the post'" [syn: mail, mail service, postal service, post]
3: a conveyance that transports the letters and packages that are conveyed by the postal system
4: any particular collection of letters or packages that is delivered; "your mail is on the table"; "is there any post for me?"; "she was opening her post" [syn: mail, post]
5: (Middle Ages) flexible armor made of interlinked metal rings [syn: chain mail, ring mail, mail, chain armor, chain armour, ring armor, ring armour] v
1: send via the postal service; "I'll mail you the check tomorrow" [syn: mail, get off]
2: cause to be directed or transmitted to another place; "send me your latest results"; "I'll mail you the paper when it's written" [syn: mail, post, send]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English male, maille, from Old English m?l agreement, pay, from Old Norse m?l speech, agreement; akin to Old English m?l speech Date: before 12th century chiefly Scottish payment, rent II. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English male, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German malaha bag Date: 13th century 1. chiefly Scottish bag, wallet 2. a. material sent or carried in the postal system b. a conveyance that transports mail c. e-mail 2a 3. a nation's postal system — often used in plural III. transitive verb Date: 1827 to send by mail ; post • mailability noun • mailable adjective IV. noun Etymology: Middle English maille metal link, mail, from Anglo-French, from Latin macula spot, mesh Date: 14th century 1. armor made of metal links or sometimes plates 2. a hard enclosing covering of an animal (as a tortoise) • mailed adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a letters and parcels etc. conveyed by post. b the postal system. c one complete delivery or collection of mail. d one delivery of letters to one place, esp. to a business on one occasion. 2 a vehicle carrying mail. 3 hist. a bag of letters for conveyance by post. --v.tr. esp. US send (a letter etc.) by post. Phrases and idioms: mail-boat a boat carrying mail. mail carrier US a postman or postwoman. mail cart Brit. hist. 1 a cart for carrying mail by road. 2 a light vehicle for carrying children. mail coach a railway coach or hist. stagecoach used for carrying mail. mail drop US a receptacle for mail. mailing list a list of people to whom advertising matter, information, etc., is to be posted. mail order an order for goods sent by post. mail-order firm a firm doing business by post. mail train a train carrying mail. Etymology: ME f. OF male wallet f. WG 2. n. & v. --n. 1 armour made of rings, chains, or plates, joined together flexibly. 2 the protective shell, scales, etc., of an animal. --v.tr. clothe with or as if with mail. Phrases and idioms: coat of mail a jacket covered with mail or composed of mail. mailed fist physical force. Derivatives: mailed adj. Etymology: ME f. OF maille f. L macula spot, mesh

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mail Mail, v. t. 1. To arm with mail. 2. To pinion. [Obs.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mail Mail, n. [OE. male bag, OF. male, F. malle bag, trunk, mail, OHG. malaha, malha, wallet; akin to D. maal, male; cf. Gael. & Ir. mala, Gr. ? hide, skin.] 1. A bag; a wallet. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 2. The bag or bags with the letters, papers, papers, or other matter contained therein, conveyed under public authority from one post office to another; the whole system of appliances used by government in the conveyance and delivery of mail matter. There is a mail come in to-day, with letters dated Hague. --Tatler. 3. That which comes in the mail; letters, etc., received through the post office. 4. A trunk, box, or bag, in which clothing, etc., may be carried. [Obs.] --Sir W. Scott. Mail bag, a bag in which mailed matter is conveyed under public authority. Mail boat, a boat that carries the mail. Mail catcher, an iron rod, or other contrivance, attached to a railroad car for catching a mail bag while the train is in motion. Mail guard, an officer whose duty it is to guard the public mails. [Eng.] Mail train, a railroad train carrying the mail.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mail Mail, n. A spot. [Obs.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mail Mail, n. [F. maille, OF. also maaille, LL. medalia. See Medal.] 1. A small piece of money; especially, an English silver half-penny of the time of Henry V. [Obs.] [Written also maile, and maille.] 2. Rent; tribute. [Obs., except in certain compounds and phrases, as blackmail, mails and duties, etc.] Mail and duties (Scots Law), the rents of an estate, in whatever form paid.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mail Mail, n. [OE. maile, maille, F. maille a ring of mail, mesh, network, a coat of mail, fr. L. macula spot, a mesh of a net. Cf. Macle, Macula, Mascle.] 1. A flexible fabric made of metal rings interlinked. It was used especially for defensive armor. --Chaucer. Chain mail, Coat of mail. See under Chain, and Coat. 2. Hence generally, armor, or any defensive covering. 3. (Naut.) A contrivance of interlinked rings, for rubbing off the loose hemp on lines and white cordage. 4. (Zo["o]l.) Any hard protective covering of an animal, as the scales and plates of reptiles, shell of a lobster, etc. We . . . strip the lobster of his scarlet mail. --Gay.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mail Mail, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mailed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mailing.] To deliver into the custody of the postoffice officials, or place in a government letter box, for transmission by mail; to post; as, to mail a letter. [U. S.] Note: In the United States to mail and to post are both in common use; as, to mail or post a letter. In England post is the commoner usage.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(mails, mailing, mailed) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. The mail is the public service or system by which letters and parcels are collected and delivered. Your check is in the mail... The firm has offices in several large cities, but does most of its business by mail. = post N-SING: the N, also by N 2. You can refer to letters and parcels that are delivered to you as mail. There was no mail except the usual junk addressed to the occupier... = post N-UNCOUNT: also the N 3. If you mail a letter or parcel to someone, you send it to them by putting it in a post box or taking it to a post office. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use post) Last year, he mailed the documents to French journalists... He mailed me the contract... The Government has already mailed some 18 million households with details of the public offer. VERB: V n to n, V n n, V n with n, also V n 4. To mail a message to someone means to send it to them by means of e-mail or a computer network. ...if a report must be electronically mailed to an office by 9 am the next day. VERB: be V-ed prep, also V n • Mail is also a noun. If you have any problems then send me some mail. N-UNCOUNT 5. see also mailing, chain mail, e-mail, electronic mail, hate mail, junk mail, surface mail

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mal.

See ARMOR.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Armor, defensive covering. 2. Post, conveyance for mailed matter. 3. Mailed matter. 4. Mail-bag. II. v. a. Put in the mail, put in the post-office, send by post, post.

Moby Thesaurus

PP, RD, RFD, air-express, airfreight, airmail, armature, armor, armor plate, body armor, book post, buckler, bulletproof vest, carrier, carrier pigeon, chain armor, chain mail, chitin, coat of mail, consign, correspondence, cortex, covert, direct mail, direct-mail selling, dispatch, drop a letter, elytron, embark, episperm, expedite, export, express, feather, feathers, forward, fourth-class mail, frank, freight, habergeon, hackle, halfpenny post, harness, hauberk, homer, homing pigeon, junk mail, letter post, letters, lorica, lorication, mail car, mail coach, mail packet, mail train, mail truck, mail-order selling, mailer, mailing list, mailplane, needles, newspaper post, packet boat, panoply, parcel post, pericarp, pigeon post, plate, plate armor, plumage, post, post boat, post car, post coach, post day, post-horse, post-office car, poster, protective covering, railway mail car, registered mail, remit, rural delivery, rural free delivery, scute, scutum, sea mail, seapost, send, send away, send forth, send off, shell, shield, ship, special delivery, special handling, speculum, spines, suit of armor, surface mail, test, testa, thick skin, transmit