Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
(māl)
, Noun.
A spot.
[Obs.]
1.
A small piece of money; especially, an English silver half-penny of the time of
Henry V.
[Obs.]
[Written also
maile
, and maille
.] 2.
Rent; tribute.
[Obs., except in certain compounds and phrases, as blackmail, mails and duties, etc.]
Mail and duties
(Scots Law)
, the rents of an estate, in whatever form paid.
(māl)
, Noun.
1.
A flexible fabric made of metal rings interlinked. It was used especially for defensive armor.
Chaucer.
2.
Hence generally, armor, or any defensive covering.
3.
(Naut.)
A contrivance of interlinked rings, for rubbing off the loose hemp on lines and white cordage.
4.
(Zool.)
Any hard protective covering of an animal, as the scales and plates of reptiles, shell of a lobster, etc.
We . . . strip the lobster of his scarlet
mail
. Gay.
Verb.
T.
1.
To arm with mail.
2.
To pinion.
[Obs.]
(māl)
, Noun.
[OE.
male
bag, OF. male
, F. malle
bag, trunk, mail, OHG. malaha
, malha
, wallet; akin to D. maal
, male
; cf. Gael. & Ir. mala
, Gr. μολγόσ
hide, skin.] 1.
A bag; a wallet.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
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.
There is a
mail
come in to-day, with letters dated Hague. Tatler.
3.
That which comes in the mail; letters, etc., received through the post office.
4.
A trunk, box, or bag, in which clothing, etc., may be carried.
[Obs.]
Sir W. Scott.
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.
Verb.
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.]
☞ 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.
Webster 1828 Edition
Noun.
1.
A coat of steel net-work, formerly worn for defending the body against swords, poniards, &c. The mail was of two sorts, chain and plate mail; the former consisting of iron rings, each having four others inserted into it; the latter consisting of a number of small lamins of metal, laid over one another like the scales of a fish, and sewed down to a strong linen or leathern jacket.2.
Armor; that which defends the body. We strip the lobster of his scarlet mail.
We read also of shirts of mail, and gloves of mail.
3.
In ships, a square machine composed of rings interwoven, like net-work, used for rubbing off the loose hemp on lines and white cordage.4.
A rent. Also, a spot.Noun.
Verb.
T.
1.
To inclose in a wrapper and direct to a post office. We say, letters were mailed for Philadelphia.