Postal means relating to the mail system that delivers letters, packages, and parcels. When you send a letter, you buy a postal stamp at the post office and put it on the envelope. The postal service then transports your letter across town or across the country to reach its destination.

In the past, messengers on horseback would stop at stations to rest and exchange mail before continuing their journey. Today's postal workers drive trucks instead of horses, but they're still following routes and delivering mail, just like those early messengers did centuries ago.

You'll see postal used in many official contexts: postal codes (like ZIP codes in America) help sort mail efficiently, postal workers are the people who work for the mail service, and postal rates are the prices for sending different types of mail.

Before email and text messages, the postal system was how people stayed connected across distances. Even today, when you need to send a birthday card, ship a package, or receive something important in writing, the postal service makes it possible.