What does airmail mean?
Airmail refers to mail — letters, cards, and parcels — that is carried by aircraft rather than by ship, train, or road, and by extension to the postal service that operates such transport. Because flying is faster than surface travel, airmail has long been associated with speed and urgency, and sending something 'by airmail' signals that it should arrive quickly. The word functions primarily as a noun but also works as an adjective in phrases like 'airmail letter' or 'airmail stamp', and it can be used as a verb, as in 'I'll airmail the contract today'. Historically, airmail transformed global communication: regular services beginning in the early twentieth century cut transatlantic delivery times from weeks to days. Today, though email dominates correspondence, airmail remains standard terminology on postage labels and in international shipping, making it a useful word for anyone describing how physical mail travels across long distances.
Mail carried by aircraft, or the system and service for transporting mail by air.
"The package was dispatched by airmail from New York."
Often used attributively, as in 'airmail envelope' or 'airmail rate'.
To send a letter or parcel by air.
"We airmailed the tickets so they would arrive before the concert."
As a noun, airmail is usually uncountable when referring to the service ('send it by airmail'); the plural 'airmails' is rare and generally avoided.
"The archive holds a collection of wartime airmails."
Before jet engines, airmail was so slow to catch on that early planes sometimes carried more newspapers than letters — until one legendary 1920s flight proved the sky could beat the train.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of airmail
Airmail is a straightforward compound of 'air' and 'mail', coined in English during the early twentieth century as aviation made airborne postal delivery possible. The element 'mail' traces back through Old French 'male' (a travelling bag or wallet), ultimately from Germanic origins, and has referred to transported correspondence since the seventeenth century. The compound therefore joins an ancient word for carried goods with a modern word for flight, and it parallels later formations such as 'email'. Related terms include 'air post' and the French-derived 'par avion', both used to mark mail destined for air transport.
How airmail is actually used
Airmail is a neutral, everyday term used in both formal postal contexts and casual conversation. It can function attributively (an airmail letter) and occasionally as a verb meaning to send something by air. The phrase 'par avion', borrowed from French, appears on airmail stickers in many countries.
Easily confused with airmail
Email is electronic mail sent over the internet, whereas airmail is physical mail transported by airplane.