mate

¹

[meyt]

noun

1. a partner in marriage; spouse.

2. one member of a pair of mated animals.

3. one of a pair.

   I can't find the mate to this glove.

4. a counterpart.

5. an associate; fellow worker; comrade; partner (often used in combination).

   classmate; roommate.

6. friend; buddy; pal (often used as an informal term of address).

   Let me give you a hand with that, mate.

7. Nautical.

   1. first mate.

   2. any of a number of officers of varying degrees of rank subordinate to the master of a merchant ship.

   3. an assistant to a warrant officer or other functionary on a ship.

8. an aide or helper, as to an artisan; factotum.

9. a gear, rack, or worm engaging with another gear or worm.

10. Archaic.,  an equal in reputation; peer; match.

verb (used with object)

mated, mating 

1. to join as a mate or as mates.

2. to bring (animals) together for breeding purposes.

3. to match or marry.

4. to join, fit, or associate suitably.

   to mate thought with daring action.

5. to connect or link.

   a telephone system mated to a computerized information service.

6. to treat as comparable.

verb (used without object)

mated, mating 

1. to associate as a mate or as mates.

2. (of animals) to copulate.

3. (of animals) to pair for the purpose of breeding.

4. to marry.

5. (of a gear, rack, or worm) to engage with another gear or worm; mesh.

6. Archaic.,  to consort; keep company.

mate

²

[meyt]

noun

mated, mating 

1. checkmate.

mate

³

[mah-tey, mat-ey]

noun

1. a tealike South American beverage made from the dried leaves of an evergreen tree.

2. a South American tree, Ilex paraguariensis, that is the source of this beverage.

3. the dried leaves of this tree.

mate

¹

/ meɪt /

noun

1. the sexual partner of an animal

2. a marriage partner

3. 1. informal,  a friend, usually of the same sex: often used between males in direct address

   2. (in combination) an associate, colleague, fellow sharer, etc

      a classmate

      a flatmate

4. one of a pair of matching items

5. nautical

   1. short for first mate

   2. any officer below the master on a commercial ship

   3. a warrant officer's assistant on a ship

6. (in some trades) an assistant

   a plumber's mate

7. archaic,  a suitable associate

8. slang,  the reduced rate charged for work done for a friend

verb

1. to pair (a male and female animal) or (of animals) to pair for reproduction

2. to marry or join in marriage

3. (tr) to join as a pair; match

maté

²

/ ˈmæteɪ, ˈmɑːteɪ /

noun

1. an evergreen tree, Ilex paraguariensis, cultivated in South America for its leaves, which contain caffeine: family Aquifoliaceae

2. a stimulating milky beverage made from the dried leaves of this tree

mate

³

/ meɪt /

noun

1. chess See checkmate

Other Word Forms

• mateless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mate¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English mate, maite “friend, companion, shipmate, mate (ship's officer), fellow creature,” from Middle Low German mate, gemate “messmate”, replacing Middle English mette, mete “table companion, messmate, partner,” Old English gemetta “messmate, guest”; meat

Origin of mate²

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb maten, matein, matten “to checkmate, defeat,” from Old French mater, ultimately from Persian; checkmate

Origin of mate³

First recorded in 1710–20; from American Spanish, from Quechua mati, the calabash gourd in which the herb is steeped

Word History and Origins

Origin of mate¹

C14: from Middle Low German; related to Old English gemetta table-guest, from mete _meat

Origin of mate²

C18: from American Spanish (originally referring to the vessel in which the drink was brewed), from Quechua máti gourd

Example Sentences

That was him, my brother, my two best mates.

From BBC

Turner got a running mate last season in Fiske, who like Turner the year before finished as a finalist for NFL defensive rookie of the year.

From Los Angeles Times

“It allowed me better ways of articulating how the disease feels rather than boring my mates off,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

When Spurs were winning games, the Aussie's approach of "it's just who we are, mate" went down well with supporters.

From BBC

He made a number of comments to police, including saying "It was not my fault. I am lucky to be here. These things happen, mate. I was going that fast, I did not see anything."

From BBC

Related Words

• acquaintance 
• bride 
• buddy 
• classmate 
• companion 
• comrade 
• coworker 
• playmate 
• roommate 
• schoolmate 
• spouse