Etymology Map
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Mail

2 stages from Old French to English.

Today it means letters and parcels sent by post; email

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

1
Stage 1 of 2
male
Old French · 1100s
"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 of 2
mail
English · 1600s
"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
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Read the full story

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.