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aerogram

 
Dictionary: aer·o·gram  aer·o·gramme (âr'ə-grăm') pronunciation
also
n.
An airmail letter in the form of a lightweight sheet of stationery that folds into its own envelope for mailing at a low postage rate. Also called air letter.

[AERO- + (TELE)GRAM.]


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WordNet: aerogram
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a letter sent by air mail
  Synonyms: airmail letter, air letter, aerogramme


Wikipedia: Aerogram
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GB Christmas Aerogram (one of two issued in 1967)

An Aerogram or Air Letter, also called an aérogramme, is a thin lightweight piece of foldable and gummed paper for writing a letter for transit via airmail, in which the letter and envelope are one and the same. Most postal administrations forbid enclosures in these light letters, which are usually sent abroad at a preferential rate.

The majority of aerograms have an imprinted stamp, however, some countries, such as New Zealand, Rhodesia and Ireland, sell unstamped aerograms. The unstamped aerograms are referred to as 'formular aerograms'. They can be issued by either postal authorities or by private companies. Senders are required to write their name and address on the reverse.

Contents

History

The first issued aerogram - Iraq 1933

The aerogram was largely popularised by its use during the Second World War (1939-45), after Lieutenant Colonel R. E. Evans, Royal Engineers, Assistant Director Army Postal Service Middle East Force (MEF), proposed that a lightweight self-sealing letter card that weighed only 1/10 oz be adopted by the British Army for air mail purposes. He recommended its use to Sir Anthony Eden, the Secretary of State for War during his visit to the Middle East, in late 1940. By January the following year, General Archibald Percival Wavell, the Commander-in-Chief, MEF was told by Eden that "Your Assistant Director Army Postal Services may forthwith introduce an Air Mail Letter Card Service for the Middle East. Use British stamps from all countries, including Egypt."

On 1 March 1941, the air mail service between the Middle East and the UK was started, using a combination of Imperial Airways seaplanes and military transport. The private nature of the air letter ensured its popularity among its users and that popularity, with its lightness, brought about its continued use as today's civilian air letter (aerograms) and the British military "bluey".

The production of United States aerograms has ceased,[when?] and when the stock of aerograms has been depleted, including the current USPS 60¢ Voyageurs National Park aerogram that is still on sale, they will not be reprinted.[1]

References

  1. ^ Airpost Journal: vol 78, no.2, February 2007 pub: American Air Mail Society

See also

External links


Translations: Aerogramme
Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - aerogram

Français (French)
n. - aérogramme, radiotélégramme

Deutsch (German)
n. - Aerogramm, Luftpostleichtbrief

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αερόγραμμα

Italiano (Italian)
aerogramma

Português (Portuguese)
n. - aerograma (m), radiograma (m)

Русский (Russian)
письмо на одной страничке отправленное авиапочтой, авиаписьмо

Español (Spanish)
n. - aerograma, carta aérea

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - radiotelegram

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
航空邮简, 航空邮件, 无线电报

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 航空郵簡, 航空郵件, 無線電報

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 무선 전보, 항공 봉함엽서

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 無線電報, 航空書簡

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮איגרת אוויר‬


 
 
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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Aerogram" Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more