mate
Meanings
- A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate.
- A breeding partner.
- A friend, usually of the same sex.
- Friendly term of address to a stranger, usually male, of similar age.
- In naval ranks, a non-commissioned officer or his subordinate (e.g. Boatswain's Mate, Gunner's Mate, Sailmaker's Mate, etc).
- A ship's officer, subordinate to the master on a commercial ship.
- A first mate.
- A technical assistant in certain trades (e.g. gasfitter's mate, plumber's mate); sometimes an apprentice.
- The other member of a matched pair of objects.
- A suitable companion; a match; an equal.
- To match, fit together without space between.
- To copulate.
- To pair in order to raise offspring.
- To arrange in matched pairs.
- To introduce (animals) together for the purpose of breeding.
- To copulate with.
- To marry; to match (a person).
- To match oneself against; to oppose as equal; to compete with.
- To fit (objects) together without space between.
- To come together as companions, comrades, partners, etc.
- To move (a space shuttle orbiter) onto the back of an aircraft that can carry it.
- Clipping of checkmate.
- Clipping of checkmate.
- To confuse; to confound.
- Alternative spelling of maté, an aromatic tea-like drink prepared from the holly yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis).
- The abovementioned plant; the leaves and shoots used for the tea
- A barangay of Tayabas, Quezon, Philippines.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
From Middle English mate, a borrowing from Middle Low German mate (“messmate”) (replacing Middle English mett, mette (“table companion, mate, partner”), from Old English ġemetta (“sharer of food, table-guest”)), from Old Saxon gimato, derived from Proto-Germanic *gamatjô, itself from *ga- (“together”) (related to German and Dutch ge-) + *matjô (from *matiz (“food”)), related to Old English mete (“food”)). From the same Middle Low German source stems German Low German Maat (“journeyman, companion”), German Maat (“naval non-commissioned officer”). Cognates include Saterland Frisian Moat (“friend, buddy, comrade, mate”), Dutch maat (“mate, partner, colleague, friend”). More at Old English ġe-, English co-, English meat. Doublet of maat. Compare typologically Latin compāniō (whence companion) (< con- + panis + -ō), Russian однока́шник (odnokášnik) (< одно- (odno-) + ка́ша (káša) + -ник (-nik)).