Postal

Postal

Adjective · /ˈpəʊst(ə)l/ · relating to the post office or the mail delivery system

Definition

Postal is the adjective form of post — the mail system. It describes anything connected to the sending and receiving of letters and parcels through the official postal network: a postal address, a postal code, a postal worker, a postal vote. It sits at the heart of communication infrastructure in Britain and every country with an organised mail service.

Origin

From post + the Latin adjectival suffix -al. The noun post traces through French poste and Italian posta to Medieval Latin posita — something placed or stationed. The network of relay stations placed along roads to carry messages gave the modern postal system its name. Postal as an adjective entered English in the early 19th century as the formalised national mail network expanded. The British Royal Mail, established as a public postal service in 1635, is among the oldest in the world.