mail order: Meaning and Definition of

mail' or"der

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. an order for goods received or shipped through the mail.
  2. the business of selling merchandise through the mail.

mail-or•der

Pronunciation: (māl'ôr"dur), [key]
— adj.
  1. pertaining to or obtained by mail order: a dozen mail-order rosebushes.
—v.t.
  1. to order (merchandise) by mail: to mail-order fruitcakes for Christmas.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.