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mail
The mail or post is a system for physically transporting documents and other small packages, as well as a term for the postcards, letters, and parcels themselves.〔In Australia, Canada, and the U.S., "mail" is commonly used both for the postal system and for the letters, postcards, and parcels it carries; in New Zealand, "post" is more common for the postal system and "mail" for the material delivered; in the UK, "post" prevails in both senses. However, the British, American, Australian, and Canadian national postal services are called, respectively, the "Royal Mail", the "United States Postal Service", the "Australia Post", and "Canada Post"; in addition, such fixed phrases as "post office" or "junk mail" are found throughout the English-speaking world.〕 A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century national postal systems have generally been established as government monopolies with a fee on the article prepaid. Proof of payment is often in the form of adhesive postage stamps, but postage meters are also used for bulk mailing. Modern private postal systems are typically distinguished from national postal agencies by the names "courier" or "delivery service".
Postal authorities often have functions other than transporting letters. In some countries, a Postal Telegraph and Telephone (PTT) service oversees the postal system as well as having authority over telephone and telegraph systems. Some countries' postal systems allow for savings accounts and handle applications for passports. The Universal Postal Union (UPU), established in 1874, includes 192 member countries and sets the rules for international mail exchanges.
== Etymology ==
The word ''mail'' comes from the Medieval English word ''male'', referring to a travelling bag or pack. It was spelled that way until the 17th century, and is distinct from the word male. The French have a similar word, ''malle'' for a trunk or large box, and ''mála'' is the Irish term for a bag. In the 17th century, the word ''mail'' began to appear as a reference for a bag that contained letters: "bag full of letter" (1654). Over the next hundred years the word ''mail'' began to be applied strictly to the letters themselves, and the sack as the ''mailbag''. In the 19th century the British usually referred to ''mail'' as being letters that were being sent abroad (i.e. on a ship), and ''post'' as letters that were for localized delivery; in the UK the Royal Mail delivers the ''post'', while in the USA the US Postal Service delivers the ''mail''. The term ''email'' (short for "''e''lectronic ''mail''") first appeared in the 1970s. The term ''snail-mail'' is a retronym to distinguish it from the quicker email. Various dates have been given for its first use.
''Post'' is derived from Medieval French ''poste'', which ultimately stems from the past participle of the Latin verb ''ponere'' ("to lay down or place").〔''Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary'', G. & C. Merriam Company, 1963, pp 662–3.〕
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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