Wordwyrt

mail

/ˈmeɪl/MAYL
/ˈmeɪl/MAYL

Meaningbag

Common meaning: letters and parcels sent through a postal system

Journey through time

  1. Old Frenchmale‘bag’source
  2. Middle Englishmale‘bag’source
  3. Englishmeaning shiftsbag → letters and parcels sent through a postal systemmail‘letters and parcels sent through a postal system’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old French male ‘bag’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Concise Etymological Dictionary (1911), entry MAIL, p. 308 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • male Old French “bag”

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app