mailbag
UK[ˈmeɪlbaɡ]US[ˈmeɪlbaɡ]
n
A large bag for carrying mail, especially one used by a post office or a person delivering mail.
n
The letters and packages received by a public figure or organization, especially a newspaper or broadcaster.
Morpheme Breakdown
mail
bag
mail
postal items
bag
container
Etymology
The word 'mailbag' is a transparent compound formed within Modern English from two nouns of distinct origins. The first element, 'mail', referring to letters and parcels for posting, entered English from Old French, where it originally meant a traveling bag or wallet, a sense preserved in the related word 'mail' for armor. The second element, 'bag', is a common Germanic word for a flexible container. The compound 'mailbag' logically combines these concepts to denote a bag specifically designed for holding postal items. Its meaning evolved from a simple descriptive term to also signify the collective correspondence received by an institution, reflecting its role in the system of communication.
Analysis
Structure: mail (postal items) + bag (container)
mail: From Old French 'male' (wallet, bag), of Germanic origin. In this compound, it functions as a noun denoting the items carried.
bag: From Old Norse 'baggi' (bag, bundle). In this compound, it functions as a noun denoting the container.
Examples
The postal worker slung the heavy mailbag over his shoulder.
The television host's mailbag was full of questions from viewers.
Letters for the entire village were sorted into the large canvas mailbag.