1. A system of mail delivery or transport, especially in India and other former British colonies, using relay stations.
Usage: historical; chiefly Indian English

Examples

• During the colonial period, the dawk system connected remote villages to major cities.
• Letters were sent via dawk, traveling from one relay station to the next.
• The dawk runner carried messages across the countryside.
• Before modern postal services, the dawk was the primary means of communication.
• The efficiency of the dawk system impressed many British administrators in India.