mail

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

mail, n. 

 A spot.  [1913 Webster]

mail, n. [F. maille, OF. also maaille, LL. medalia. See Medal.].

•  A small piece of money; especially, an English silver half-penny of the time of Henry V.  [1913 Webster]
•  Rent; tribute.  [1913 Webster]

Mail and duties (Scots Law), the rents of an estate, in whatever form paid.

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.].

•  A flexible fabric made of metal rings interlinked. It was used especially for defensive armor.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence generally, armor, or any defensive covering.  [1913 Webster]
•  A contrivance of interlinked rings, for rubbing off the loose hemp on lines and white cordage.  [1913 Webster]
•  Any hard protective covering of an animal, as the scales and plates of reptiles, shell of a lobster, etc.  [1913 Webster]

  "We . . . strip the lobster of his scarlet mail."  [1913 Webster]

Chain mail, Coat of mail. See under Chain, and Coat.

mail, v. t. 

•  To arm with mail.  [1913 Webster]
•  To pinion.  [1913 Webster]

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. molgo`s hide, skin.].

•  A bag; a wallet.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]
•  The bag or bags with the letters, 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.  [1913 Webster]

  "There is a mail come in to-day, with letters dated Hague."  [1913 Webster]
•  That which comes in the mail; letters, etc., received through the post office.  [1913 Webster]
•  A trunk, box, or bag, in which clothing, etc., may be carried.  Sir W. Scott.  [1913 Webster]

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.

mail, v. t. 

 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.  [1913 Webster]
" 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."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

mail, 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.

Idiom

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.

mail, 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.

Idiom

coat of mail a jacket covered with mail or composed of mail. mailed fist physical force.

Derivative

mailed adj.

Etymology

ME f. OF maille f. L macula spot, mesh

THESAURUS

mail

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

ROGET THESAURUS

mail

Defense

N defense, protection, guard, ward, shielding, propugnation, preservation, guardianship, area defense, site defense, self-defense, self-preservation, resistance, safeguard, balistraria, bunker, screen, camouflage, fortification, munition, muniment, trench, foxhole, bulwark, fosse, moat, ditch, entrenchment, intrenchment, kila, dike, dyke, parapet, sunk fence, embankment, mound, mole, bank, sandbag, revetment, earth work, field- work, fence, wall dead wall, contravallation, paling, palisade, haha, stockade, stoccado, laager, sangar, barrier, barricade, boom, portcullis, chevaux de frise, abatis, abattis, abbatis, vallum, circumvallation, battlement, rampart, scarp, escarp, counter-scarp, glacis, casemate, vallation, vanfos, buttress, abutment, shore, breastwork, banquette, curtain, mantlet, bastion, redan, ravelin, vauntmure, advance work, horn work, outwork, barbacan, barbican, redoubt, fort-elage, fort-alice, lines, loophole, machicolation, sally port, hold, stronghold, fastness, asylum, keep, donjon, dungeon, fortress, citadel, capitol, castle, tower of strength, tower of strength, fort, barracoon, pah, sconce, martello tower, peelhouse, blockhouse, rath, wooden walls, bulletproof vest, armored vest, buffer, corner stone, fender, apron, mask, gauntlet, thimble, carapace, armor, shield, buckler, aegis, breastplate, backplate, cowcatcher, face guard, scutum, cuirass, habergeon, mail, coat of mail, brigandine, hauberk, lorication, helmet, helm, bassinet, salade, heaume, morion, murrion, armet, cabaset, vizor, casquetel, siege cap, headpiece, casque, pickelhaube, vambrace, shako, bearskin, panoply, truncheon, garrison, picket, piquet, defender, protector, guardian, bodyguard, champion, knight-errant, Paladin, propugner, bulletproof window, hardened site, defending, defensive, mural, armed, armed at all points, armed cap-a-pie, armed to the teeth, panoplied, iron-plated, ironclad, loopholed, castellated, machicolated, casemated, defended, proof against, armored, ballproof, bulletproof, hardened, defensively, on the defense, on the defensive, in defense, at bay, pro aris et focis, Int, no surrender!, defense not defiance, Dieu defend le droit, fidei defensor, defender of the faith.

Transference

VB transfer, transmit, transport, transplace, transplant, translocate, convey, carry, bear, fetch and carry, carry over, ferry over, hand pass, forward, shift, conduct, convoy, bring, fetch, reach, tote, port, import, export, send, delegate, consign, relegate, turn over to, deliver, ship, embark, waft, shunt, transpose, displace, throw, drag, mail, post, shovel, ladle, decant, draft off, transfuse, infuse, siphon.

Vehicle

N vehicle, conveyance, carriage, caravan, van, common carrier, wagon, waggon, wain, dray, cart, lorry, truck, tram, cariole, carriole, limber, tumbrel, pontoon, barrow, wheel barrow, hand barrow, perambulator, Bath chair, wheel chair, sedan chair, chaise, palankeen, palanquin, litter, brancard, crate, hurdle, stretcher, ambulance, black Maria, conestoga wagon, conestoga wain, jinrikisha, ricksha, brett, dearborn, dump cart, hack, hackery, jigger, kittereen, mailstate, manomotor, rig, rockaway, prairie schooner, shay, sloven, team, tonga, wheel, hobbyhorse, go-cart, cycle, bicycle, bike, two-wheeler, tricycle, velocipede, quadricycle, equipage, turn-out, coach, chariot, phaeton, break, mail phaeton, wagonette, drag, curricle, tilbury, whisky, landau, barouche, victoria, brougham, clarence, calash, caleche, britzka, araba, kibitka, berlin, sulky, desobligeant, sociable, vis-a-vis, dormeuse, jaunting car, outside car, dandi, doolie, dooly, munchil, palki, roller skates, skate, runabout, ski, tonjon, vettura, post chaise, diligence, stage, stage coach, mail coach, hackney coach, glass coach, stage wagon, car, omnibus, fly, cabriolet, cab, hansom, shofle, four-wheeler, growler, droshki, drosky, dogcart, trap, whitechapel, buggy, four-in-hand, unicorn, random, tandem, shandredhan, char-a-bancs, motor car, automobile, limousine, car, auto, jalopy, clunker, lemon, flivver, coupe, sedan, two-door sedan, four-door sedan, luxury sedan, wheels, sports car, roadster, gran turismo, jeep, four-wheel drive vehicle, electric car, steamer, golf cart, electric wagon, taxicab, cab, taxicoach, checker cab, yellow cab, station wagon, family car, motorcycle, motor bike, side car, van, minivan, bus, minibus, microbus, truck, wagon, pick-up wagon, pick-up, tractor- trailer, road train, articulated vehicle, racing car, racer, hot rod, stock car, souped-up car, bob, bobsled, bobsleigh, cutter, double ripper, double runner, jumper, sled, sledge, sleigh, toboggan, train, accommodation train, passenger train, express trail, special train, corridor train, parliamentary train, luggage train, freight train, goods train, 1st class train, 2nd class train, 3rd class train, 1st class carriage, 2nd class carriage, 3rd class carriage, 1st class compartment, 2nd class compartment, 3rd class compartment, rolling stock, horse box, cattle truck, baggage car, express car, freight car, parlor car, dining car, Pullman car, sleeping car, sleeper, dome car, surface car, tram car, trolley car, box car, box wagon, horse car, bullet train, shinkansen, cannonball, the Wabash cannonball, lightning express, luggage van, mail, mail car, mail van, shovel, spool, spatula, ladle, hod, hoe, spade, spaddle, loy, spud, pitchfork, post hole digger, tractor, steamshovel, backhoe, fork lift, earth mover, dump truck, bulldozer, grader, caterpillar, trench digger, steamroller, pile driver, crane, wrecking crane.

Messenger

N messenger, envoy, emissary, legate, nuncio, internuncio, ambassador, marshal, flag bearer, herald, crier, trumpeter, bellman, pursuivant, parlementaire, apparitor, courier, runner, dak, estafette, Mercury, Iris, Ariel, commissionaire, errand boy, chore boy, newsboy, mail, overnight mail, express mail, next-day delivery, post, post office, letter bag, delivery service, United Parcel Service, UPS, Federal Express, Fedex, telegraph, telephone, cable, wire (electronic information transmission), carrier pigeon, (news) 532 reporter, gentleman of the press, representative of the press, penny-a-liner, special correspondent, own correspondent, spy, scout, informer.