Postages

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The fees paid for sending mail or packages via postal services are often termed as such
2. This refers to the monetary amount required to dispatch letters or parcels through a postal system
3. The charges associated with mailing items domestically or internationally can be categorized under this term

Etymology: The word "postages" is simply the plural of "postage," so the key is the older word it comes from. "Postage" is formed from "post," the English word for a mail service or a set of stations where riders changed horses, plus the suffix "-age," which in English turns a noun into a word for a charge or cost associated with something. A "postage" is therefore the price paid for the post's service. "Post" itself travelled a long road. It came into English from Middle French "poste," which in turn came from Italian "posta," meaning a place where horses were stationed, and that Italian word descends from Latin "posita," the feminine past participle of "ponere," to place. The idea of a placed station, where riders were positioned to carry messages onward, is the root of the sense of "mail" that the modern word carries. Because "postage" was built from an existing English word, its plural "postages" simply refers to multiple such charges, typically for different letters or parcels.

Synonyms: mail charges, postal fees, shipping costs