mail

Where does the word "mail" come from? It comes from Old French male, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

Mail’s story begins in Old French: male meant “bag.” From Frankish *malha 'bag'; a travelling bag or wallet, and modern French malle still means a trunk (armour 'mail' is a different word, from Latin macula 'mesh'). It reached English by 1600s as mail. From the post-bag to the letters in it; Charles I opened the Royal Mail to the public in 1635. Today, mail means letters and parcels sent by post; email.

1. Stage 1 · Old French · 1100s male "bag", from Frankish *malha 'bag'; a travelling bag or wallet, and modern French malle still means a trunk (armour 'mail' is a different word, from Latin macula 'mesh').
2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s mail "letters and parcels sent by post", from the post-bag to the letters in it; Charles I opened the Royal Mail to the public in 1635.