Library / English Dictionary

MAIL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

(Middle Ages) flexible armor made of interlinked metal rings

Synonyms:

chain armor; chain armour; chain mail; mail; ring armor; ring armour; ring mail

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("mail" is a kind of...):

body armor; body armour; cataphract; coat of mail; suit of armor; suit of armour (armor that protects the wearer's whole body)

Domain category:

Dark Ages; Middle Ages (the period of history between classical antiquity and the Italian Renaissance)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mail"):

brigandine (a medieval coat of chain mail consisting of metal rings sewn onto leather or cloth)

habergeon ((Middle Ages) a light sleeveless coat of chain mail worn under the hauberk)

byrnie; hauberk (a long (usually sleeveless) tunic of chain mail formerly worn as defensive armor)

gusset; voider (a piece of chain mail covering a place unprotected by armor plate)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A conveyance that transports the letters and packages that are conveyed by the postal system

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("mail" is a kind of...):

conveyance; transport (something that serves as a means of transportation)

Derivation:

mail (cause to be directed or transmitted to another place)

mail (send via the postal service)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The system whereby messages are transmitted via the post office

Example:

in England they call mail 'the post'

Synonyms:

mail; mail service; post; postal service

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("mail" is a kind of...):

communicating; communication (the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mail"):

airmail; airpost (a system of conveying mail by aircraft)

snail mail (any mail that is physically delivered by the postal service)

RFD; rural free delivery (free government delivery of mail in outlying country areas)

Derivation:

mail (cause to be directed or transmitted to another place)

mail (send via the postal service)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("mail" is a kind of...):

message (a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled)

Meronyms (parts of "mail"):

letter; missive (a written message addressed to a person or organization)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mail"):

special delivery (mail that is delivered by a special carrier (for an additional charge))

registered mail; registered post (mail that is registered by the post office when sent in order to assure safe delivery)

surface mail (mail that is sent by land or sea)

air mail (mail that is sent by air transport)

airmail (letters and packages that are transported by aircraft)

third-class mail; third class (mail consisting of printed matter qualifying for reduced postal rates)

bulk mail (mail consisting of large numbers of identical items (circulars or advertisements) sent to individual addresses at less than 1st-class rates and paid for in one lot)

parcel post (postal service that handles packages)

express; express mail (mail that is distributed by a rapid and efficient system)

1st-class mail; 1st class; first-class mail; first class (mail that includes letters and postcards and packages sealed against inspection)

Derivation:

mail (send via the postal service)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Any particular collection of letters or packages that is delivered

Example:

she was opening her post

Synonyms:

mail; post

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("mail" is a kind of...):

accumulation; aggregation; assemblage; collection (several things grouped together or considered as a whole)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mail"):

fan mail (mail sent to public figures from their admirers)

hate mail (mail that expresses the writer's dislike or hatred (usually in offensive language))

mailing (mail sent by a sender at one time)

Derivation:

mail (send via the postal service)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to be directed or transmitted to another place

Example:

I'll mail you the paper when it's written

Synonyms:

mail; post; send

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "mail" is one way to...):

transfer (move from one place to another)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mail"):

express (send by rapid transport or special messenger service)

airmail (send or transport by airmail)

register (send by registered mail)

express-mail (send by express mail or courier)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something to somebody

Sentence examples:

They mail the parcel to their parents

They mail them the parcel

Derivation:

mailing (mail sent by a sender at one time)

mailing (the transmission of a letter)

mailer (a person who mails something)

mail (the system whereby messages are transmitted via the post office)

mail (a conveyance that transports the letters and packages that are conveyed by the postal system)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Send via the postal service

Example:

I'll mail you the check tomorrow

Synonyms:

get off; mail

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "mail" is one way to...):

send; send out (to cause or order to be taken, directed, or transmitted to another place)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mail"):

pouch (send by special mail that goes through diplomatic channels)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody

Derivation:

mail (a conveyance that transports the letters and packages that are conveyed by the postal system)

mail (the system whereby messages are transmitted via the post office)

mail (the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service)

mail (any particular collection of letters or packages that is delivered)

mailer (a person who mails something)

mailing (the transmission of a letter)

mailing (mail sent by a sender at one time)

Credits

 Context examples: 

A URL or e-mail would be similarly described.

(Healthcare Facility Telecom Address, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

Tell an adult if any communication (chat, text, e-mail message) makes you feel threatened or uncomfortable.

(Internet Safety, NIH)

The mail picked us up about dusk at the Royal George on the heath.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

He was a squat, bull-necked man, clad in the iron helmet, mail tunic, and woollen gambesson of his class.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A file that is linked to an e-mail message.

(Email Attachment, NCI Thesaurus)

A text string identifier for a location to which e-mail can be delivered.

(E-mail Address, NCI Thesaurus)

Signifies an intermediary who is responsible for transferring a piece of mail between the postal system and the final addressee.

(Care Of, NCI Thesaurus)

Most e-mail systems use the Internet.

(E-mail, NCI Thesaurus)

A data type comprised of mailing and home or office addresses.

(Address Data Type, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

The inspector had lit his lantern, and by its light we could see the two doors, the curtain, the lamp, and the suit of Japanese mail as he had described them.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)