E-mail = Electronic Mail.

Messages automatically passed from one computer user to another, often through computer networks and/or via modems over telephone lines. E-mail can also be sent automatically to a large number of addresses (Mailing List).

A message begins with several lines of headers, followed by a blank line, and the body of the message. Headers give the name and electronic mail address of the sender and recipient(s), the time and date when it was sent and a subject. There are many other headers which may get added by different message handling systems during delivery. Message body consists of text message can contain "attachments" of different kinds (usually Word, Excel or other documents, pictures and so on). It is conventional for the body to end with a signature.

Sent messages are stored in electronic mailboxes until the recipient fetches them. To see if you have any mail, you may have to check your electronic mailbox periodically, although many systems alert you when mail is received. After reading your mail, you can store it in a text file, forward it to other users, or delete it. Copies of memos can be printed out on a printer if you want a paper copy.

As opposed to snail mail, e-mail sends your messages instantaneously, anywhere in the world. It is the killer app of the Internet because of its capability to send messages at any time, to anyone, for less money than mailing a letter or calling someone on the telephone. In fact, there are now more e-mail addresses than telephone numbers in the world, and more people have multiple e-mail addresses than multiple telephone numbers. This is a particularly effective way to communicate with a group because you can broadcast a message or document to everyone in the group at once.

Spam, on the other hand, is a problem for people who get inundated with marketing messages and we've been advised not to respond with a request for removal because then you are validating the fact that there's a live person at the other end of that particular e-mail address.

The word is used as a noun for the concept ("Isn't e-mail great?", "Are you on e-mail?"), a collection of (unread) messages ("I spent all night reading my e-mail"), and as a verb meaning "to send (something in) an e-mail message" ("I'll e-mail you (my report)"). Another common spelling for e-mail is email.