English → Latin
“mail” in Latin
thōrā̆xchest, thorax; breastplate, cuirass; doublet, stomacherlōrīcaA coat of mail; A breastplatecataphractuswearing armor, mailed
The English word mail itself goes back to Latin macula, through *macla.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
mail
A coat of steel net-work, thorax (made of metal plates): lorica (of leather, with metal): cataphracta (for horse and rider). To put on a coat of mail, thoracem induere (Plin.); munimentum corporis sumere (Curt.); pectus munire thorace, loricā.
mail
For conveyance of letters, *cursus publicus epistolis perferendis (formerly, *tabellarii publici, Muret.): rheda cursualis publica (the carriage, after Cod. Theod., 12, 11): celeris mutatio cursus publici (he quick change of horses, Ammian, 21, 9). A mail-bag, *folliculus epistolis servandis.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for mail?
- The usual Latin words for “mail” are thōrā̆x, lōrīca, cataphractus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.