Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Mail delivered by a postal system, as distinct from electronic mail.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun retronym
Postal mail , especially as compared toemail
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun any mail that is physically delivered by the postal service
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
A retronym emphasizing postal mail's slowness compared to email.
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Examples
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sionnach commented on the word snail mail
Was this term actually invented by Edward Lear, which would make it not a retronym?
February 10, 2009
bilby commented on the word snail mail
Fine by me. Let's turn the bugger around. Lear jets shall henceforth proceed on the ground, and only at speeds reflective of having their wheels tied together.
February 10, 2009