/meɪl/
Definitions
4 meaningsThe system of delivering letters, packages, and other items by post.
/meɪl/
A system for sending letters and packages.
I received a letter in the mail today.
💡 Simply: Mail is like a special delivery service. It brings letters, cards, and packages to your house or office. Imagine waiting excitedly for a birthday card in the mail!
👶 For kids: Mail is when someone sends you a letter or package. The mailman brings it to your house!
More Examples
The mail carrier delivers the mail every day.
Did you check the mail for any packages?
How It's Used
"The mail is delivered every morning."
"The company uses mail to send invoices."
Letters, packages, and other items sent or received through the postal service.
/meɪl/
Letters and parcels.
She checked her mail for an important letter.
💡 Simply: Think of mail as the things you get delivered to your house - letters, bills, even presents. It's everything the mailman or woman brings!
👶 For kids: Mail is the letters and packages that come to your house.
More Examples
The bills came in the mail.
I sent the package through the mail.
How It's Used
"I have a lot of mail to sort through."
"I received a birthday card in the mail."
To send something by post.
/meɪl/
I need to mail this letter.
💡 Simply: To mail something is to send it through the post office. Like when you put a letter in the mailbox to send to your friend!
👶 For kids: To mail something means to put it in the mail to send to someone.
More Examples
He mailed the package to his friend.
She mailed the invitations last week.
How It's Used
"I'll mail the package tomorrow."
"Please mail the invoice to the address provided."
Flexible armor made of interlinked metal rings or plates.
/meɪl/
Armor.
The knight's chest was protected by chain mail.
💡 Simply: Imagine a knight's armor made of lots and lots of tiny metal rings sewn together. That's mail!
👶 For kids: Mail can be the armor knights wear.
More Examples
The museum displayed a suit of ancient mail.
Chain mail was a common form of armor in medieval times.
How It's Used
"The knight wore a suit of chain mail."
Idioms & expressions
snail mail
Traditional postal mail (as opposed to email).
"I still prefer to receive birthday cards through snail mail."
junk mail
Unsolicited advertising mail.
"My mailbox is always full of junk mail."
From Old French *male* ('wallet, bag, mailbag'), from Late Latin *mala* ('wallet, traveling bag'). Later adopted for the bags used to transport letters and parcels and then, by extension, for the letters and parcels themselves and the system of delivery.
Historically, mail referred to the system of postal delivery and the letters/packages it handled, evolving from earlier usage relating to travel bags.