[ih] Invention of term 'email'

[James P.G. Sterbenz]

On 13 Jun 2012, at 17:43, Noel Chiappa wrote:

[snip]

> And that's what I'm interested in - is there any validity to the claims of
> origin for the term. (The OED cite would be the place to start, obviously.)

OK, here are the relevant OED entries, with only the 1979 citation expanded.  This does *not* come with permission to put this publicly online, so please do not put it on a Web page without separate permission from Oxford.

email, n.
Brit.	/ˈiːmeɪl/ , U.S. /ˈiˌmeɪl/
Forms:  19– e-mail, 19– email. Also with capital initial(s).
Etymology:  Short for electronic mail n.
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A system for sending textual messages or files to one or more recipients via a computer network (esp. the Internet); a message or messages sent using this system. Also: an email address.

1979   Electronics 7 June 63 (heading)    Postal Service pushes ahead with E-mail.
1986   Times 14 Jan. 27/5   The partnership of word processor and e-mail almost eliminate the need for paper.
1997   Independent (Nexis) 4 Mar. 6   Technology can be a ball and chain. Some investment bankers are encouraged to check their voice-mail and e-mail every six hours.
2004   Windows XP Personal Trainer 241/1   Before you break the bank and buy a plane ticket across the country, why not send the pictures via e-mail?
2005   J. Cox Around World in 80 Dates xii. 267   In the morning when I logged on, there'd be an email from him.
2009   T. Hall Something Wiccan xii. 123   We've been emailing since I was thirteen—you gave him my e-mail so I could help with some research he was doing.

[citation details for 1979 reference]
Electronics · Apr. 1930–12 July 1984; 17 June 1985–27 Mar. 1995.
New York: McGraw-Hill Pub. Co.
ISSN: 0013-5070

email, v.
Pronunciation:  Brit.	/ˈiːmeɪl/ , U.S. /ˈiˌmeɪl/
Forms:  see email n.2
Etymology:  < email n.2, after mail v.5
Computing.
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1. trans. To send (a message or file) by email; to send an email to (a person, organization, etc.).
1983   Computokid in net.micro (Usenet newsgroup) 25 Aug.,   Young stuff interested in correspondence (via dull old paper mail) might email a letter to me to forward.
1994   Loaded Sept. 111/1   For Sonic Youth we would first e-mail them at serv at cornell.edu.
2002   R. Mistry Family Matters (2003) x. 229   I've drafted a sort of manifesta—I'll email it to you.
2008   J. Armstrong & S. Bain Peep Show (section following p. 276),   I've emailed you an mp3 for you to have a listen to.
 
2. intr. To send an email; (also) to exchange emails, to communicate by email.
1993   UNIX Rev. Mar. 28/3 (advt.)    Call, fax or email for a free demo.
2002   Total Guitar Mar. 26/3   Zap The Lizard emailed to say ‘It's 8.34am on Christmas Day, and I'm still frazzled from last night's solo gig.’
2005   Apex Sci. Fiction & Horror Digest Autumn 116   A true woman of the twenty-first century, we hadn't emailed for long before I googled him.


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