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Glite Dictionary
mailboat

mailboat

5.5
A boat that carries mail and small supplies to islands and remote places
  • noun
  • /ˈmeɪlˌboʊt/
translation icon : barco correo
  • In the middle of the last century, she bested the steam mailboat from Hong Kong to Singapore by an astounding day and a half.

Lake Geneva mailboat tours links in description.

Examples

  • Who told us we could make it to Split for $5 sleeping on the deck of the mailboat?

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The mailboat arrived on schedule, bringing letters and packages to the remote island community.

  • During the summer, locals eagerly await the delivery of supplies by the mailboat to their isolated village.

  • Every morning, the mailboat sets off to deliver mail to the scattered islands accessible only by water.

Synonyms

packet
vsmailboat
  • Archaic
5 9.4

A small ship that carries mail on a regular route

focuses on delivery to places hard to reach by land rather than fixed routes
mail boat
vsmailboat
1 2.8

A boat that carries mail to islands and remote places

is the one-word written form of the same name
packet boat
vsmailboat
  • Archaic
1 7.5

A boat that carries mail and sometimes people and goods on a regular route

emphasizes remote deliveries rather than scheduled multi-purpose service

How Big

freighter
83 4.0
mailboat
5.5
launch
36 6.0

Surface Forms

mailboat singular
mailboats plural

Morphology

mailboat = mail + boat (transparent) = mail + boat

The meaning is a straightforward compound 'mail' + 'boat' referring to a boat that carries mail.

Etymology

Mailboat comes from the two simple words mail ('letters and small packages') and boat. It is like a 'floating post office' that carries mail and supplies to islands and other places that are hard to reach by road.