Electronic Mail

Definition: Electronic Mail

Electronic Mail

Noun

1. (computer science) a system of world-wide electronic communication in which a computer user can compose a message at one terminal that is generated at the recipient's terminal when he logs in.

Specialty Definitions: Electronic Mail

Domain	Definitions
Computing	Electronic mail (e-mail) Messages automatically passed from one computer user to another, often through computer networks and/or via modems over telephone lines. A message, especially one following the common RFC 822 standard, begins with several lines of headers, followed by a blank line, and the body of the message. An increasing number of e-mail systems support the MIME standard which allows the message body to contain "attachments" of different kinds rather than just one block of plain ASCII text. It is conventional for the body to end with a signature. Headers give the name and electronic mail address of the sender and recipient(s), the time and date when it was sent and a subject. There are many other headers which may get added by different message handling systems during delivery. The message is "composed" by the sender, usuallya using a special program - a "Mail User Agent" (MUA). It is then passed to some kind of "Message Transfer Agent" (MTA) - a program which is responsible for either delivering the message locally or passing it to another MTA, often on another host. MTAs on different hosts on a network often communicate using SMTP. The message is eventually delivered to the recipient's mailbox - normally a file on his computer - from where he can read it using a mail reading program (which may or may not be the same MUA as used by the sender). Contrast snail-mail, paper-net, voice-net. The form "email" is also common, but is less suggestive of the correct pronunciation and derivation than "e-mail". The word is used as a noun for the concept ("Isn't e-mail great?", "Are you on e-mail?"), a collection of (unread) messages ("I spent all night reading my e-mail"), and as a verb meaining "to send (something in) an e-mail message" ("I'll e-mail you (my report)"). The use of "an e-mail" as a count noun for an e-mail message, and plural "e-mails", is now (2000) also well established despite the fact that "mail" is definitely a mass noun. Oddly enough, the word "emailed" is actually listed in the Oxford English Dictionary. It means "embossed (with a raised pattern) or arranged in a net work". A use from 1480 is given. The word is derived from French "emmailleure", network. Also "email" is German for enamel. (2001-01-29). Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing.
Public Administration	Computerized transmission of messages which allows direct transmission, or storing in order to delay transmittal and reception at a convenient time, or retaining the message on computerized files. Source: European Union. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Synonyms: Electronic Mail

Synonyms: email (n), e-mail (n). (additional references)

Synonyms by domain: e-mailed (public administrationcomputing).

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Crosswords: Electronic Mail

Specialty definitions using "electronic mail": amateur packet radio, America On-Line, Inc., Andrew Message System, Apple Open Collaboration Environment, application layer ♦ B1FF, base 64, best effort, BinHex, Blind Carbon Copy ♦ ccmail, commercial at, communication entities, Compulink Information eXchange, CompuServe information service, computer-based message system, CSNET, customer service representative ♦ Datakit, doubled sig ♦ Ecash, e-ddress, e-dress, electronic commerce, electronic magazine, electronic mail address, electronic message system, electronic messages system, email, e-mail address, EMBLA Pro, EMDIR, end user consultant, Eudora, EUnet Ltd. ♦ fnord, fweep ♦ GNATS, Group 3, Groupwise ♦ help desk representative, High Speed Circuit Switched Data, HOTT ♦ Imago On-line, inews, information center specialist ♦ Joint Academic NETwork ♦ keypal, Knowbot Information Service ♦ Linux Network Administrators' Guide, Listserv, Lotus Notes ♦ mail bomb, mail bridge, Mail Exchange Record, mail exploder, mail gateway, mail server, mail user agent, Microsoft Exchange, mimencode, Minimum Envelope, Minnesota Internet Users Essential Tool, Multi-channel Memorandum Distribution Facility, Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions ♦ Network Information Center, network, the ♦ OA, office automation analys, Office Document Architecture, out-of-band ♦ PBEM, PBM, play by electronic mail, Post Office Protocol, Privacy Enhanced Mail ♦ read-only user, retronym, RFC 822, rib site ♦ Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, Service Access Point, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, simple message transfer protocol, snail-mail, sorcerer's apprentice mode, source route, Spoken inarticulations, systems programmer ♦ tsia ♦ Unique ID Listing, Unix to Unix Copy, USENET, user name, USER SUPPORT ANALYST ♦ Vendor Independent Messaging ♦ White pages, whois, Windows Messaging ♦ X.400. (references)

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Commercial Usage: Electronic Mail

Domain	Title
Books	A Student's Guide to the Internet: Exploring the World Wide Web, Gopherspace, Electronic Mail, and More! (reference) (more book examples)

Periodicals	Nefte Compass - Includes Electronic Mail (reference) Broadcast Strategy & Finance Week - Includes Electronic Mail (reference) Accra Cost Of Living Index C-w Electronic Mail (reference) Corporate Secretary - Electronic Mail (reference) Customer Service Quarterly Electronic Mail (reference) (more periodical examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Electronic Mail

Subject	Topic	Quote
Business		Currently the most widely used Internet services are electronic mail and database access. (references)
		Consequently, best sales prospects were and still are products related to electronic mail, voice messaging and electronic directories. (references)
		The most popular intranet applications include information sharing and publishing, electronic mail, document management, electronic forms, and corporate directories. (references)
Civil Liberties	Cuba	The Government controls all access to the Internet, and all electronic mail messages are subject to censorship. (references)
	Turkmenistan	There were credible reports that the Government took this measure in order to monitor Internet activity, especially electronic mail. (references)
	Singapore	The SBA has stated that it has no intention of monitoring Internet or electronic mail use but intends to block access to material that contains pornography or excessive violence or that incites racial or religious hatred. (references)
Economic History	Moldova	Few Moldovan companies have set up websites, even though electronic mail is a tool increasingly used. (references)
	Bangladesh	Several Internet service providers, featuring electronic mail and World Wide Web services, now exist in Dhaka. (references)
	Jordan	Access to the Internet and electronic mail is available in most cities; the top speed for residential access is 56 kbps, with faster connections becoming available through Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Lines (ADSL). (references)
Travel	Bolivia	Most business establishments have fax and telex machines, with electronic mail becoming increasingly popular. (references)
	Honduras	Multimedia and data transmission services, such as fax, electronic mail, internet, and cellular telephony, are also available in the country. (references)
	Taiwan	Telex and facsimile facilities are also available at the Chungwa Telecom-International Business Group (CHT-I), while an electronic mail service that enables users to send their own facsimile messages can be found in every post office on the island. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

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Expressions: Electronic Mail

Expressions using "electronic mail": electronic mail address ♦ play by electronic mail. Additional references.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Electronic Mail

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Expression	Frequency per Day
electronic mail box	17
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translations: Electronic Mail

Language		Translations for "electronic mail"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Chinese		電子郵件 (email). (various references)

Danish		elektronisk post (ECOM, electronic computer originated mail, Email, teleimpression), databoks (Email). (various references)

Dutch		elektronische post (Email), telemail (Email). (various references)

Finnish		s-posti (e-mail), sähköposti (Email, e-mail). (various references)

French		messagerie électronique (electronic message system, electronic messages system), messagerie, courrier électronique. (various references)

German		elektronische Post (Email, e-mail). (various references)

Greek		EMS (element management system, Email), σύστημα ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου (Email), ηλεκτρονικό ταχυδρομείο (Email, e-mail). (various references)

Italian		sistema di trattamento di messaggi (message handling), posta elettronica (ECOM, electronic computer originated mail, Email, e-mail, teleimpression), messaggi elettronici (Email). (various references)

Japanese Kanji		電子郵便 , 電子メール (e-mail), 電子メイル (e-mail), エル�"ー盤 (aerogram, angel, elbow, Electone, Electra complex, electric, electric guitar, electricity, electroluminescence, electron, electronic, electronic banking, electronic cooking, electronic cottage, electronic file, electronic money, electronic music, electronic office, electronic sound, electronics, elegance, elegant, elegy, element, elementary, elevation, elevator, elf, elm, elocution, elven, encapsulation, enclosure, encode, encoder, encoding, encounter, encyclopedia, engage, engagement, engagement ring, engine, engine brake, engineer, engineering, engineering plastics, enjoy, erect, erection, erogenous zone, Eroica, Eros, erotic, erotic and grotesque, erotic and grotesque nonsense, erotic production, erotica, eroticism, erotism, erotomania, Herman, Hermes, ignition key, long-playing record, LP). (various references)

Japanese Katakana		で�"しメール (e-mail), で�"しめいる (e-mail), で�"しゆうび�", エレクトロニックメール . (various references)

Pig Latin		electronicay ailmay.(various references)

Portuguese		teclado eletrônico, serviço de manipulação de mensagens (message handling), correio electrónico (e-mail). (various references)

Spanish		correo electrónico (Email, e-mail). (various references)

Swedish		e-post (email, e-mail). (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Misspellings: Electronic Mail

Misspellings
	"Electronic Mail" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: electronic mial. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Anagrams: Electronic Mail

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-c-c-e-e-i-i-l-l-m-n-o-r-t"
	-3 letters: electrician.
	-4 letters: allometric, ceremonial, citronella, clinometer, cliometric, colemanite, conciliate, electrical, electronic, eliminator, eremitical, interlocal, mercantile, microcline.
	-5 letters: accretion, anorectic, anticrime, arecoline, calcimine, canceller, centriole, cinematic, circinate, cleanlier, coeternal, collimate, collinear, concealer, conciliar, coralline, cremation, criminate, electoral, eliminate, emollient, intercell, interlace, intermale, latecomer, linoleate, manticore, melanitic, melanotic, meliorate, militance, millerite, mortician, niccolite, recollect, reconcile, reliction, tillerman, tillermen, tolerance, trinomial.
	Words containing the letters "a-c-c-e-e-i-i-l-l-m-n-o-r-t"
	+5 letters: microelectronically.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.