[ih] Invention of term 'email'

[Craig Partridge]

Just adding here.

"email" was used in an message to the header people mailing list
by Dave Taylor of HP Labs on 8 January 1987.

Earliest use of "E-mail" I can find is from Tommy Ericson of QZCOM on
24 May 1985.

So clearly the OED needs to be updated.

Craig

> 
> 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.
> Thesaurus »
> Categories »
>  
> 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 almo
> st eliminate the need for paper.
> 1997   Independent (Nexis) 4 Mar. 6   Technology can be a ball and chain. Som
> e investment bankers are encouraged to check their voice-mail and e-mail ever
> y 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 logge
> d on, there'd be an email from him.
> 2009   T. Hall Something Wiccan xii. 123   We've been emailing since I was th
> irteen—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.
> Thesaurus »
> Categories »
>  
> 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 inte
> rested 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 ser
> v at cornell.edu.
> 2002   R. Mistry Family Matters (2003) x. 229   I've drafted a sort of manife
> sta—I'll email it to you.
> 2008   J. Armstrong & S. Bain Peep Show (section following p. 276),   I've em
> ailed 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 twe
> nty-first century, we hadn't emailed for long before I googled him.
> 
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> James P.G. Sterbenz   jpgs@{ittc|eecs}.ku.edu   jpgs at comp.lancs.ac.uk
> www.ittc.ku.edu/~jpgs   154 Nichols ITTC|EECS   InfoLab21 Lancaster U
> +1 508 944 3067      The University of Kansas     jpgs at tik.ee.ethz.ch
> jpgs@{acm|ieee|comsoc|computer|m.ieice}.org     jpgsterbenz at gmail.com
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> 
********************
Craig Partridge
Chief Scientist, BBN Technologies
E-mail: craig at aland.bbn.com or craig at bbn.com
Phone: +1 517 324 3425