Advertisement

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Origin and history of postal

postal(adj.)

"pertaining to the mail system," 1843, on model of French postale (1836), from post (n.3). Noun meaning "state of irrational and violent anger" (usually in phrase going postal) is attested by 1997, in reference to a cluster of news-making workplace shootings in U.S. by what was commonly described as a "disgruntled postal worker" (the cliche itself, though not the phrase, goes back at least to 1994).

also from 1843

Entries linking to postal

post(n.3)

[mail system] c. 1500, "riders and horses posted at intervals," to provide direct and rapid communication of messages and letters from one place to another by relays, from post (n.2) on notion of riders and horses "posted" at intervals along a route. Probably formed on model of French poste in this sense (late 15c.).

The meaning "system for the conveyance of letters" is from 1660s; it is attested from 1590s in the sense of "vehicle used to convey mails;" 1670s as "a dispatch of letters from or to a place." As a newspaper name from 1680s.

    Advertisement

    Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

    Trends of postal

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

    More to explore

    Canton
    the first Chinese cities open to Westerners; the older form of the name is from the British-run, Hong Kong-based Chinese postal...
    route
    The sense of "fixed or regular course for carrying things" (originally and for long especially postal, as in mail route)...
    probe
    "Probe to the bottom," says President Roosevelt of the postal steals....
    mail
    "bag full of letters" (1650s; perhaps via phrases such as a mail of letters, 1654) and "person or vehicle that carries postal...
    return
    The postal return address, to which an item is to be returned if it could not be delivered, is attested from 1879; return...
    parcel
    Parcel post as a service to deliver packages (later a branch of the postal service) is by 1790....
    going
    "a moving" in any way, c. 1300, verbal noun from go (v.). The Old English verbal noun was gang "a going, journey; passage, course" (see gang (n.)). Meaning "condition of a road or route for travel" is from 1848, American English; hence to go while the going is good (1907). Going
    factor
    early 15c., "commercial agent, deputy, one who buys or sells for another," from French facteur "agent, representative" (Old French factor, faitor "doer, author, creator"), from Latin factor "doer, maker, performer," in Medieval Latin, "agent," agent noun from past participle stem
    peace
    mid-12c., pes, "freedom from civil disorder, internal peace of a nation," from Anglo-French pes, Old French pais "peace, reconciliation, silence, permission" (11c., Modern French paix), from Latin pacem (nominative pax) "compact, agreement, treaty of peace, tranquility, absence o
    arsenal
    c. 1500, "dockyard, dock with naval stores," from Italian arzenale, from Arabic dar as-sina'ah "workshop," literally "house of manufacture," from dar "house" + sina'ah "art, craft, skill," from sana'a "he made." The word was applied by the Venetians to a large wharf in their city

    Share postal

    Advertisement

    Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

    Trending
    Dictionary entries near postal
    Advertisement

    Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

    Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.