the origins* of the word "mail" are not fully known. one theory is that it originally comes from the latin word "macula", meaning "spot" or "opacity". another theory relates the word to the old french "maillier", meaning “to hammer” (related to the modern english word "malleable"). a mail shirt is a called a hauberk (haubergeon or byrnie). mail leggings were called chausses. a mail hood is called a coif and covered the head, neck and shoulders.