Hypertext Webster Gateway: "mail"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Mail \Mail\, v. t.
1. To arm with mail.
2. To pinion. [Obs.]
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Mail \Mail\, n.
A spot. [Obs.]
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
mail
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 [syn: {mail service}, {post}, {postal service}]
3: a conveyance that transports mail
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: {post}]
5: (medieval) flexible armor; made of interlinked metal rings
[syn: {chain mail}, {ring mail}, {chain armor}, {chain
armour}, {ring armor}, {ring armour}]
v 1: send via the postal service; "I'll mail you the check
tomorrow" [syn: {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: {post}, {send}]
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.