Mail Meaning
Mail Definition & Usage
Written messages, packages, or documents that are sent or received through a postal or courier system.
Examples
- "I just received a letter in the mail from my friend in France."
- "The company sends out promotional mail to all its customers every month."
- "The postman delivered the mail early today."
- "I’m waiting for an important package in the mail."
- "She checks her mail every morning to see if any bills have arrived."
To send a letter, package, or document through the postal system.
Examples
- "I need to mail this package before the post office closes."
- "Could you mail me the invitation as soon as you get it?"
- "They mailed the letter last week, but it still hasn’t arrived."
- "He’s going to mail his resume to the company tomorrow."
- "I forgot to mail the birthday card on time!"
An email or electronic mail; messages sent electronically over the internet.
Examples
- "I got an urgent mail from my boss this morning."
- "Don’t forget to check your mail for the latest updates."
- "He sent me a mail asking for clarification on the report."
- "I’m always getting spam mail in my inbox."
- "Can you mail me the document as a PDF?"
Cultural Context
The word 'mail' comes from the Old French word 'mail', which originally meant a bag or bundle of goods. This evolved to refer to a system of delivering messages and packages. Over time, 'mail' has expanded to include electronic communication (email), especially with the rise of the internet in the 1990s.
The Unexpected Mail
Story
The Unexpected Mail
It was a typical Wednesday morning when Jane received an unexpected surprise in her mailbox. She had just finished her breakfast and was about to leave for work when the postman knocked. Jane, a writer, was used to receiving bills, catalogs, and the occasional birthday card. But today was different. In her mailbox, she found a thick, handwritten envelope addressed to her in elegant script. She hesitated for a moment, unsure if it was a mistake, but the return address was from an old friend, Emily, whom she hadn’t heard from in years. Intrigued, Jane opened the envelope carefully, almost as if it were a precious artifact. Inside was a letter, handwritten on stationery that smelled faintly of lavender. Emily was inviting Jane to her wedding—a momentous occasion that Jane hadn’t expected to come so soon. Feeling a surge of joy and nostalgia, Jane realized just how much she missed receiving physical mail. In an era dominated by emails and instant messages, getting something personal in the mail felt incredibly special. She smiled, thinking back to the days when they would send letters to each other during their college years, eagerly awaiting the next post to arrive. After reading the letter, Jane quickly decided to mail her RSVP. She rushed to the post office, where she sent the invitation back, feeling a connection to Emily despite the years of silence between them. 'I guess some things never change,' Jane thought as she dropped the letter into the mailbox. Though email had become her primary mode of communication, there was still something irreplaceable about traditional mail. Later that day, as Jane checked her email inbox at work, she received a message from her colleague, Brian. 'Can you mail me the updated report by this afternoon?' the email read. It struck her how fluidly 'mail' could now refer to electronic messages, a far cry from the handwritten letters of old. At the end of the day, Jane walked home, thinking about how 'mail' had evolved. From the postal system to the digital age, the concept of communication had transformed. Yet, whether it was a letter in the mailbox or an email in her inbox, she realized that the true value of 'mail' was in the connection it fostered—no matter the medium.
