mail

The word “mail” means letters, parcels, and other items sent through the postal system. In plain terms, letters and packages sent by post, or messages sent by email — plus, unrelated, a type of metal-ring armor.

“Mail” is pronounced mayl (/meɪl/ in IPA).

Here is “mail” used in a sentence: “She checked the mailbox but there was no mail today.”

Depending on how it is used, “mail” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “mail” comes from Latin. The postal sense comes from Old French male ("bag, wallet"), from a Frankish word for a bag used to carry letters. The armor sense is unrelated, from Old French maille, ultimately from Latin macula ("mesh, spot").

“Mail” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Mail” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: letters, parcels, and other items sent through the postal system.

They mean much the same thing. British English traditionally uses "post" for both the system and the items, as in "I'll post the letter," while American English uses "mail," as in "I'll mail it." "Mail" is now widely understood everywhere, helped along by the word "email."

"Mail" traditionally means physical letters and parcels delivered by the postal service, sometimes called snail mail. "Email" is electronic mail sent over the internet. In casual speech "mail" now often means email as well, so context tells you whether a message is on paper or digital.

Both. As a noun, "mail" is the collection of letters and parcels sent by post. As a verb, to "mail" something is to send it through the postal system, common in American English. There is also an unrelated older noun, "mail," meaning armour made of linked metal rings.