electronic mailbox

Area in computer memory (similar to an address) where e-mail is stored. Each user in an e-mail system has a private mailbox where messages are stored until the recipient opens and reads them. After opening and reading e-mail, the user can store it, forward it to other users, reply to it, delete it, print it, or copy it to a file. Mailboxes are generally not very stable, and if the user wishes to save an e-mail message, copying it to a file is a good idea. See also electronic mail.