mail

mail — noun

1. letters, parcels, and other items that people send to each other, or the public

1.nounB1
Definition

letters, parcels, and other items that people send to each other, or the public system that collects and delivers them.

Example

The mail usually arrives at our office before ten o'clock in the morning.

Shanti forgot to check her mail while she was away on holiday for two weeks.

collocation: check the mail

Common collocations
  • check the mail
  • by mail
  • in the mail
  • mail carrier
  • sort mail
  • open mail
Synonyms
  • post

    preferred term in British English for letters and packages sent through the postal system

  • correspondence

    more formal; refers specifically to written messages, not parcels

Usage Note

Mail is an uncountable noun in this sense. Do not say 'a mail' for a single item — use 'a letter', 'a package', or 'a piece of mail' instead.

Common Mistakes

I received a mail from my mother yesterday.
I received a letter from my mother yesterday.
'mail' is uncountable; for one item, use 'a letter' or 'a piece of mail'.

2. messages sent and received electronically through a computer or phone network.

2.nounB1
Definition

messages sent and received electronically through a computer or phone network.

Example

Felipe checks his work mail on the computer before starting his shift.

Élise sent a short mail with all the details about the meeting tomorrow.

collocation: send a mail

Common collocations
  • check mail
  • send a mail
  • read mail
  • forward a mail
  • inbox mail
  • spam mail
Synonyms
  • email

    the standard term for electronic messages; 'mail' in this sense is a shortened form

  • message

    broader term that may include texts and instant messages, not only email

Usage Note

Frequently used in workplace and computing contexts. The countable form 'a mail' (meaning an email message) is widely accepted in informal usage, though some style guides prefer 'an email' for electronic messages and reserve 'mail' for physical post.

Common Mistakes

I will mail you the files.' (when you mean send an email — ambiguous)
I will email you the files.
Using 'email' as a verb avoids confusion between postal and electronic delivery.

3. a type of body protection once used by warriors, created by joining many tiny me

3.nounC1
Definition

a type of body protection once used by warriors, created by joining many tiny metal loops into one flexible sheet.

Example

The knight wore a heavy mail coat under his armour for extra protection.

compound noun: mail coat

At the museum we saw an exhibition of chain mail from the medieval period.

Common collocations
  • chain mail
  • mail armour
  • mail coat
  • wear mail
  • mail shirt
  • a suit of mail
Synonyms
  • chain mail

    the more common modern term for this type of armour

  • chainmail

    alternative spelling, written as one word

Usage Note

Usually appears as 'chain mail' in modern English. When used alone, it is uncountable — do not say 'a mail' for a piece of armour. Distinguish from the mail/email senses (noun/1 and noun/2), which come from a different historical root.

4. a word used in the names of some British newspapers, reflecting their historical

4.nounC2
Definition

a word used in the names of some British newspapers, reflecting their historical connection to the postal service.

Example

The Daily Mail is one of the most widely read newspapers in the United Kingdom.

Christopher writes a weekly column for the local newspaper called the Town Mail.

proper noun: part of newspaper title

Usage Note

Always appears as part of a proper noun and is capitalised. Learners do not need to actively produce this sense, but should recognise it when encountering newspapers such as the Daily Mail or the Glasgow Mail.

mail — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While 'mail' broadly refers to letters and parcels sent through the postal system, 'post' is the preferred term in British English for the same concept ('I will put it in the post'). 'Correspondence' is more formal and specifically denotes written messages—often professional or personal letters—but not packages. 'Postal service' refers to the institutional system (e.g., 'the US Postal Service') rather than the items themselves. For example: 'Is there any mail for me today?' checks for items that arrived; 'The postal service has raised its rates' discusses the system. Use 'mail' in everyday informal and American English contexts, and 'post' in British settings.

post ↗correspondence ↗postal servicepackage delivery

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • by mail
  • in the mail
  • through the mail

Prepositions

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'mail' has two distinct origins that merged into modern English. The postal meaning comes from Old French 'male' (a bag or wallet), which traveled through Middle English as 'male' (travelling bag) and later came to mean the letters carried in it. The armour sense comes from a different Old French word 'maille' (a mesh or loop), from Latin 'macula' (spot or hole in a net). The 'email' sense is a 20th-century shortening of 'electronic mail', modeled on the postal meaning.