Postage

Postage

Noun (uncountable) · /ˈpəʊstɪdʒ/ · the charge for sending mail; the payment applied to a letter or parcel

Definition

Postage is the charge levied for the transmission of a letter, card, or parcel through the postal system. It can refer to the physical stamp affixed to indicate pre-payment, to the calculated cost of sending an item, or to the general concept of postal charges. In e-commerce it commonly appears as postage and packing, or simply postage, covering all costs of dispatching a physical order.

Origin

From post (the mail system, ultimately from Medieval Latin posita — a placed station on a relay route) + the suffix -age, indicating a charge or service. The postal relay system of horses and riders placed at intervals gave us both the word and the institution. Britain introduced the world's first adhesive prepaid postage stamp — the Penny Black — on 6 May 1840, making the concept of prepaid postage a British invention.