Also E-mail, and email, Abbreviation for electronic mail. An electronic means for communication in which (a) usually text is transmitted (but sometimes also graphics and/or audio information,) (b) operations include sending, storing, processing, and receiving information, (c) users are allowed to communicate under specified conditions, and (d) messages are held in storage until called for by the addressee. Some e-mail software permits the attachment of separate electronic files, e.g., word-processor files, graphics files, audio files.