Crossword Genius

Mail being sent to distant branch (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

outpost

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'branch' is the definition.
(I have seen 'Remote branch' mean 'outpost' so perhaps 'branch' could also mean 'outpost')

'mail being sent to distant' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'mail' could be 'post' (synonyms) and 'post' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'out' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for outpost that I've seen before include "Remote stronghold" , "Remote branch" , "Small group of soldiers" , "settlement difficult to reach?" , "Remote part of an empire" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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