释义 |
mail I. \ˈmāl\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English maill, male, from Old English māl terms, agreement, pay, from Old Norse māl speech, language, agreement; akin to Old English mǣl speech, conversation, mæthel assembly, Old Saxon & Old High German mahal assembly, judgment, Gothic mathl meeting place, market, Old English mōt meeting — more at meet now chiefly Scotland : payment, rent, tribute, tax II. \ˈmāl, esp before pause or consonant -āəl\ noun (-s) Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English male, from Old French, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch māle bag, traveling bag, Old High German malaha, malha wallet, bag 1. chiefly Scotland : bag, wallet, traveling bag 2. a. : the bags of letters and the other postal matter conveyed under public authority from one post office to another b. : the postal matter consigned at one time to or from one person or one post office or conveyed by a particular train, airplane, or ship < the mail for the city > < the doctor's mail was late that day > < the letter just made the 7 o'clock mail > c. : a conveyance that transports mail < the train was a fast mail > 3. or mails plural a. : a nation's postal system — compare post 3 b. : postal matter collectively < in colonial days newspapers were not considered part of the mails > III. verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: mail (II) transitive verb : to send by mail < mail a letter home > intransitive verb : to send postal matter by mail < many advertisers mail to carefully chosen lists of prospects > IV. noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English maile, maille, from Middle French, from Old French, from Latin macula spot, mesh of a net 1. a. obsolete : a ring or plate constituting the basic unit of the medieval warrior's defensive armor b. : armor made of metal links or plates — compare chain mail, plate armor 2. a. : the hard enclosing covering of various animals (as of a tortoise or a lobster) b. archaic : the full-grown breast feathers especially of a hawk 3. : a metal or glass eye in a heddle through which the thread of the warp passes V. transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) : to arm with mail VI. transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: perhaps from mail (II) or mail (IV) 1. obsolete : envelop 2. : to wrap up (a hawk) : bind VII. noun (-s) Etymology: French, mall, maul, from Middle French, hammer, maul — more at maul obsolete : mall VIII. \ˈmāl\ Scotland variant of mole IX. noun : messages sent electronically to an individual ; specifically : e-mail herein |