letter-box

Noun

box (plural boxes or (nonstandard, computing, humorous) boxen)

1. A cuboid space; a cuboid container, often with a hinged lid.
   • A terrible voice in the hall cried, "Bring down Master Scrooge's box, there!" and in the hall appeared the schoolmaster himself, who glared on Master Scrooge with a ferocious condescension, and threw him into a dreadful state of mind by shaking hands with him.1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave Two. The First of the Three Spirits.”, in A Christmas Carol. […], London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 55

   Synonyms:

   case, package

2. A cuboid container and its contents; as much as fills such a container.
   • a box of books

   Synonyms:

   boxful

3. A compartment (as a drawer) of an item of furniture used for storage, such as a cupboard, a shelf, etc.
4. A compartment or receptacle for receiving items.
   • post box post office box
5. A numbered receptacle at a newspaper office for anonymous replies to advertisements; see also box number.
   • Add five words for address if replies are to come to a box number address at any of our offices. These replies are forwarded each day as received, in new envelopes at no extra charge. […] When replying to blind ads be careful to put on your envelope the correct box number and do not enclose...1924 December 1, “The Broadcaster: A Department that will Find what You Want: A Central Clearing House for All Your Business Wants”, in C. A. Musselman, editor, Automobile Trade Journal, volume XXIX...
6. A compartment to sit inside in an auditorium, courtroom, theatre, or other building.
   • There is yet a better manner of arranging the boxes; and for which invention we are indebted to Andrea Sighizzi, the ſcholar of [Francesco] Brizio and Dentone; […] The plan he followed was, that the boxes, according as they were to be removed from the ſtage towards the bottom of the theatre, ſhould...1767, [Francesco] Algarotti, “On the Structure of Theatres”, in An Essay on the Opera Written in Italian, London: Printed for L. Davis and C. Reymers, →OCLC, pages 101–102

   Synonyms:

   loge

See all 52 meanings of box