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. molgo`s hide, skin. ] 1. A bag; a wallet. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The bag or bags with the letters, 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

There is a mail come in to-day, with letters dated Hague. Tatler. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. That which comes in the mail; letters, etc., received through the post office. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A trunk, box, or bag, in which clothing, etc., may be carried. [ Obs. ] Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Rent; tribute. [ Obs., except in certain compounds and phrases, as blackmail, mails and duties, etc. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Mail and duties (Scots Law), the rents of an estate, in whatever form paid. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Chain mail,
Coat of mail. See under Chain, and Coat. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence generally, armor, or any defensive covering. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Naut.) A contrivance of interlinked rings, for rubbing off the loose hemp on lines and white cordage. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Zool.) Any hard protective covering of an animal, as the scales and plates of reptiles, shell of a lobster, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

We . . . strip the lobster of his scarlet mail. Gay. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To arm with mail. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To pinion. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A spot. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Admissible lawfully into the mail. Opposed to non-mailable. Dangerous items such as explosives, weapons, or corrosive chemicals are often classified by the postal authorities as non-mailable. [ U.S. ] [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. A bag in which mailed matter is conveyed or shipped under public authority.
Syn. -- mail pouch. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. A letter carrier's shoulder bag; as, in England they call a mailbag a postbag.
Syn. -- postbag. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. a boat that carries the mail.
Syn. -- mail boat, packet, packet boat. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. A public box for deposit of mail, where it is later picked up by the postal authority for delivery.
Syn. -- postbox, letter box. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. A private box to recieve delivery of mail. The term is used both for boxes receiving mail delivered by the public postal authority, or by a private services, such as for mail to employees in large corporations.
Syn. -- letter box. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

3. (Computers) A location within a computer storage device where electronic mail is held until it is retrieved by the addressee. Creation and use of an electronic mailbox requires special software as well as a data storage device. [ PJC ]