What does email mean?
Email refers both to the system of sending electronic messages between computers over networks — most commonly the internet — and to any individual message transmitted through that system. It functions as a noun ('an important email arrived overnight') and as a verb ('she emailed her supervisor'). Introduced in the early 1970s as a digital adaptation of postal mail, email quickly became one of the most widely used forms of communication worldwide, valued for its speed, low cost, and ability to carry documents and attachments across great distances instantly. In tone it is neutral and versatile: equally at home in formal business correspondence and casual personal notes. The word was originally written 'e-mail', reflecting its origin in 'electronic mail', though the unhyphenated spelling has become dominant. Its ubiquity has made it a foundational term of modern digital life.
A system for sending electronic messages between users over a network; also, a message sent using this system.
"He received an email confirming his flight booking."
Countable when referring to individual messages; uncountable when referring to the system ('send it by email').
To send an electronic message to someone, typically containing text or attachments.
"Could you email me the agenda before the meeting?"
Transitive; commonly followed directly by the recipient or the thing sent.
Standard plural, used for individual messages. When referring to the communication system as a whole, 'email' is uncountable and takes no plural.
"She spent the morning clearing out old emails from her inbox."
The word 'email' predates the internet itself — the first networked electronic mail was sent in 1971, when computer scientist Ray Tomlinson picked the @ symbol because it was the least-used key on his keyboard.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of email
Email is a clipping of 'electronic mail', first used in the early 1970s when researchers began sending messages between computers on early networks. The underlying word 'mail' comes through Middle English and Old French 'male' meaning a bag or travelling case, ultimately from Germanic origins. Related English terms include mailbox, mailman, and airmail, all built on this shared root.
Related word forms
How email is actually used
Neutral in register and suitable for all contexts. The verb takes either a direct recipient ('email me') or a direct object ('email the document'), but combining both usually requires 'to' ('email the document to me') to avoid awkwardness. Originally styled 'e-mail', the unhyphenated 'email' is now standard in most style guides.
Easily confused with email
'E-mail' is simply the hyphenated older spelling of the same word; both are now accepted, though 'email' without the hyphen is more common today.