Etymology

email

e·mail
E1M3A1I1L1

Today it means: A system for transmiting and receiving messages and datas by means of a computer network, primarily the Internet, using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and the Internet Message Format. Full definition →

English electronic mailabbr. ← Middle English male ← Old French male
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email · noun, verb1

  1. Ancient Greekἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron)
  2. Latinēlectrum
  3. New Latinēlectricus
  4. Englishelectric
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₁ey-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éyti
  7. Proto-Hellenic*éimi
  8. Ancient Greekἰόν (ión)
  9. Englishion
  10. Englishelectron
  11. Englishelectronic
  12. Proto-Indo-European*molko-der.?
  13. Proto-Germanic*malhō
  14. Frankish*malha
  15. Medieval Latinmala
  16. Anglo-Normanmale
  17. Old Frenchmale
  18. Middle Englishmale
  19. Englishmail
  20. Englishelectronic mailabbr.
  21. English todayemail

The noun is an abbreviation of electronic mail. First attested in the 1970s. The verb is derived from the noun, by analogy with mail (“to send through the mail”).

email · noun2

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)meld-“to melt; to soften”
  2. Medieval Latin · derived fromsmaltum“enamel”
  3. Old French · derived fromesmal“enamel”
  4. Middle French · borrowed fromemail
  5. English todayemail

Borrowed from Middle French email, from Old French esmal (“enamel”) (modern French émail (“enamel; vitreous enamel; glaze (coating on pottery)”)), from Medieval Latin smaltum (“enamel”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meld- (“to melt; to soften”). Doublet of smalt, smalto, and schmaltz.

Words from the same roots

Old Frenchesmal all →

mailer

Medieval Latinsmaltum all →

smalt

Proto-Indo-European*(s)meld- all →

mullermilt

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.