Outbox

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈaʊtbɒks/

Definitions

1. A folder or location in an email application where messages are temporarily stored before being sent to recipients
2. A designated area in a digital communication platform where outgoing messages await transmission to the intended recipients
3. A specific section of an electronic mailing system that holds messages ready for sending to others

Etymology: The word "outbox" is a plain compound: "out" (Old English "ūt", meaning outside or away from) joined to "box" (Old English "box", from Late Latin "buxis", a container made of boxwood). The Latin root goes back through Greek "pyxis", a small box, which was itself made from "pyxos", boxwood, and that tree gave its name to the containers carved from its wood. Once combined, the pieces describe the function directly: a box for things sent out. The sense is literal and modern, borrowed from the older idea of a physical tray or container on a desk for outgoing paper, now carried over to the email client where the messages wait to leave.

Synonyms: mailbox, letterbox