mailbox

mail·box

[meyl-boks]
noun
1.
a public box in which mail is placed for pickup and delivery by the post office.
2.
a private box, as at a home, into which mail is delivered by the mail carrier.
3.
Computers. a file for storing electronic mail.
Origin:
1800–10; mail1 + box1

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
mailbox (ˈmeɪlˌbɒks) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  chiefly (US), (Canadian)
 a.  a slot, usually covered with a hinged flap, through which letters, etc are delivered to a building
 b.  Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): letter box a private box into which letters, etc, are delivered
2.  chiefly (US), (Canadian) Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): postbox a public box into which letters, etc, are put for collection and delivery
3.  (on a computer) the directory in which e-mail messages are stored; also used of the icon that can be clicked to provide access to e-mails

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Mailbox is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

mailbox
1810, "box for mailbags on a coach," from mail + box. Meaning "letterbox" is from 1922.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

mailbox definition


1. A file belonging to a particular user on a particular computer in which received electronic mail messages are stored ready for the user to read them. A mailbox may be just an electronic mail address to which messages are sent and may not actually correspond to a file if the messages are processed automatically, e.g. a mail server or mailing list.
2. A destination for interprocess messages in a message passing system. A mailbox is a message queue, usually stored in the memory of the processor on which the receiving process is running. Primitives are provided for sending a message to a named mailbox and for reading messages from a mailbox.
(1994-10-20)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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