FromMiddle English mate Middle Low German mate ( “ messmate ” ) (replacingMiddle English mette ( “ table companion, mate, partner ” ) , fromOld English ġemetta ( “ sharer of food, table-guest ” ) ), derived fromProto-Germanic *gamatjô *ga- ( “ together ” ) (related toGerman Dutch ge- *matjô *matiz ( “ food ” ) ), related toOld English mete ( “ food ” ) ). From the same Middle Low German source stemsGerman Low German Maat ( “ journeyman, companion ” ) ,German Maat ( “ naval non-commissioned officer ” ) . Cognates includeSaterland Frisian Moat ( “ friend, buddy, comrade, mate ” ) ,Dutch maat ( “ mate, partner, colleague, friend ” ) . More atOld English ġe- English co- English meat Doublet ofmaat
mate (plural mates
Afellow ,comrade ,colleague ,partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate.Synonyms: fellow ( poetic, archaic ) fere 1887 Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia , page152 :A "mate " was a "mate " - share and share alike, no matter how bad might be the times, or how long a spell of ill luck had attended them.
( especially of a non-humananimal ) breeding partner.2015 April 16,Richard P. Grant , “Sex and the successful fundraiser”, inThe Guardian [1] Such overt displays of avowed sexual prowess – or at least, desperate availability – are not limited to the countryside. Even in the city, birds and animals and stockbrokers and nurses find ways of signalling their suitability as amate .
( colloquial , British , Australia , New Zealand , Ireland , South Africa , sometimes elsewhere in the Commonwealth) friend , usually of the same sex.Synonyms: friend buddy see also Thesaurus:friend I'm going to the pub with a fewmates .
He's my bestmate .
( colloquial , British , Australia , New Zealand , Ireland , South Africa , sometimes elsewhere in the Commonwealth) Synonym: buddy Excuse me,mate , have you got the time?
( nautical ) naval ranks, anon-commissioned officer or his subordinate (e.g.Boatswain's Mate ,Gunner's Mate , Sailmaker's Mate, etc).( nautical ) ship 'sofficer ,subordinate to themaster on a commercial ship.( nautical ) first mate .Atechnical assistant in certain trades (e.g.gasfitter's mate ,plumber's mate ); sometimes anapprentice . The othermember of amatched pair of objects.I found one of the socks I wanted to wear, but I couldn't find itsmate .
A suitable companion; a match; an equal.1667 John Milton , “Book IV”, inParadise Lost. [ … ] [ … ] [Samuel Simmons ], and are to be sold by Peter Parker [ … ] [ a] nd by Robert Boulter [ … ] [ a] nd Matthias Walker, [ … ] →OCLC Paradise Lost in Ten Books: [ … ] , London: Basil Montagu Pickering [ … ] 1873 ,→OCLC Ye knew me once nomate / For you; there sitting where you durst not soar.
In British English and Irish English, "mate" typically carries more masculine connotations than in Australian English and New Zealand English, in which the word is used as a unisex term. of breeding animal: sexual partner
Dutch:gezel (nl) m partner (nl) m or f paringsgezel m Finnish:pari (fi) ,kumppani (fi) Greek:σύντροφος (el) m ( sýntrofos ) ( human ) ,ταίρι (el) n ( taíri ) Hindi:साथी (hi) m ( sāthī ) ,सहवासी (hi) m ( sahvāsī ) Hungarian:pár (hu) Icelandic:maka m Irish:céile m leathéan m ( of a bird ) Italian:copulatore m riproduttore (it) m Japanese:相手 (ja) ( あいて, aite ) Malay:pasangan (ms) Malayalam:ഇണ (ml) ( iṇa ) Middle English:make Old English:ġemaca m Portuguese:parceiro (pt) m parceira f parceiros (pt) pl or m pl parceiras f pl Russian:па́ра (ru) f ( pára ) ,саме́ц (ru) m ( saméc ) ( male ) ,са́мка (ru) f ( sámka ) ( female ) Spanish:pareja (es) f Zazaki:çıt c
nautical: ship's officer on commercial vessel
nautical: NCO or his subordinate in naval ranks
Arabic:صَدِيق m ( ṣadīq ) Burmese:မိတ် (my) ( mit ) Chinese:Cantonese:死黨 / 死党 ( sei2 dong2 ) ,朋友 ( pang4 jau5 ) ,老友 ( lou5 jau5 ) ,老死 (yue) ( lou5 sei2 ) Mandarin:朋友 (zh) ( péngyǒu ) ,夥計 / 伙计 (zh) ( huǒjì ) ,老兄 (zh) ( lǎoxiōng ) Dutch:maat (je)m or n kameraad (nl) m makker (nl) m gabber (nl) m Finnish:kaveri (fi) French:copain (fr) m camarade (fr) m Georgian:ამხანაგი ( amxanagi ) ,მეგობარი ( megobari ) German:( colloquial ) Kumpel (de) m Kollege (de) m ( colloquial ) ,Freund (de) Greek:φίλος (el) m ( fílos ) Hindi:मित्र (hi) m ( mitra ) ,सखा (hi) m ( sakhā ) ,साथी (hi) m ( sāthī ) ,बंधु (hi) m ( bandhu ) Hungarian:haver (hu) ,pajtás (hu) ,cimbora (hu) Irish:comrádaí m Italian:compagno (it) m amico (it) m camerata (it) m Japanese:友達 (ja) ( ともだち, tomodachi ) Korean:동무 (ko) ( dongmu ) Maori:( direct address ) e hoa Ottoman Turkish:گوڭلداش ( gönüldaş ) Persian:رفیق (fa) ( rafiq ) Portuguese:mano (pt) m camarada (pt) ,cara (pt) m chapa (pt) m Russian:това́рищ (ru) m ( továrišč ) ,друг (ru) m ( drug ) ,прия́тель (ru) m ( prijátelʹ ) Spanish:mano (es) ,colega (es) Turkish:kanka (tr) ,kardeş (tr) Welsh:mêt m mêts m pl Yucatec Maya:láakʼ
fellow, associate, colleague (in combination)
Bulgarian:другар (bg) m ( drugar ) Finnish:toveri (fi) German:Kollege (de) m Greek:συνάδελφος (el) m ( synádelfos ) ,συνεργάτης (el) m ( synergátis ) Hindi:साथी (hi) m ( sāthī ) Hungarian:társ (hu) Italian:socio (it) m membro (it) m affiliato (it) m Middle English:mate make Ottoman Turkish:قولداش ( koldaş ) ,یولداش ( yoldaş ) ,رفیق ( refik ) ,همراه ( hemrah ) ,آیاقداش ( ayakdaş ) ,حریف ( herif ) Portuguese:colega (pt) m or f Russian:това́рищ (ru) m ( továrišč ) ,напа́рник (ru) m ( napárnik ) ,напа́рница (ru) f ( napárnica ) Spanish:socio (es) m compañero (es) m Welsh:mêt m mêts m pl
Translations to be checked
mate (third-person singular simple present mates present participle mating simple past and past participle mated
( intransitive ) match ,fit together withoutspace between.Synonyms: match couple pair The pieces of the puzzlemate perfectly.
( intransitive ) copulate .Synonyms: couple see also Thesaurus:copulate ( intransitive ) pair in order to raiseoffspring .( transitive ) arrange in matchedpairs .( transitive ) introduce (animals) together for the purpose ofbreeding .( transitive , of an animal) copulate with.( transitive ) marry ; tomatch (a person).1611 William Shakespeare , “The Tragedie of Cymbeline ”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [ … ] (First Folio ), London: [ … ] Isaac Iaggard , andEd[ ward] Blount , published1623 ,→OCLC [ Act I, scene i] :If she bemated with an equal husband.
( transitive , obsolete ) 1625 Francis [Bacon] , “Of Death”, inThe Essayes [ … ] [ … ] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret,→OCLC There is no passion in the mind of man so weak but itmates and masters the fear of death.
1613 (date written),William Shakespeare , [John Fletcher ], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight ”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [ … ] (First Folio ), London: [ … ] Isaac Iaggard , andEd[ ward] Blount , published1623 ,→OCLC [ Act III, scene ii] :I,[ …] [ …] mate a sounder man than Surrey can be.
( transitive ) fit (objects) together withoutspace between.( intransitive ) 1887 Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia , page152 :Indeed, some cases of devotion that were met with were quite touching; and very often to all appearances the pairs were not alwaysmated from the same class of society.
( transitive , aerospace ) space shuttle orbiter ) onto the back of anaircraft that can carry it.Antonym: demate to engage in sexual intercourse
—see copulate pair in order to raise offspring
Translations to be checked
Middle English maten Middle French mater Old French mat ( “ checkmate ” ) , fromPersian شاه مات ( šâh mât ) .
mate (plural mates
( chess ) Clipping ofcheckmate .mate (third-person singular simple present mates present participle mating simple past and past participle mated
( chess ) Clipping ofcheckmate .to put an opponent in checkmate
Middle English maten ( “ to overpower ” ) , fromOld French mater ( “ to kill ” ) , fromVulgar Latin *mattō
mate (third-person singular simple present mates present participle mating simple past and past participle mated
( obsolete ) confuse ; toconfound .c. 1594 (date written),William Shakespeare , “The Comedie of Errors ”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [ … ] (First Folio ), London: [ … ] Isaac Iaggard , andEd[ ward] Blount , published1623 ,→OCLC [ Act V, scene i] :I think you are allmated , or stark mad.
Seematé
mate (plural mates
Alternative spelling ofmaté , an aromatic tea-likedrink prepared from theholly yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis The abovementioned plant; the leaves and shoots used for the tea AEMT ATEM Atem META Meta Tame Team Tema meat meta meta- tame team mate
first / third-person singular present subjunctive ofmatar Borrowed fromSpanish mate
IPA (key ) : /ˈmate/ [ˈma.t̪e] Hyphenation:ma‧te mate (Badlit spelling ᜋᜆᜒ
( chess ) checkmate mate (Badlit spelling ᜋᜆᜒ
( chess ) checkmate ; to put theking of an opponent into checkmatemate (Badlit spelling ᜋᜆᜒ
( chess ) checkmate For quotations using this term, seeCitations:mate .
mate
third-person singular present ofmást mate f plural maten diminutive maatje n
Archaic form ofmaat ( “ measure ” ) mate
( archaic ) dative singular ofmaat In welkemate voel je je verantwoordelijk voor het ongeluk? ―To whatdegree do you feel responsible for the accident? The usage ofmate in modern Dutch likely mostly reflects a survival of itsdative case form. The old nominativemate is more rare, although in a number of collocations such asde mate waarin ("the degree to which") it is still encountered, and with the simplification of the case system the old distinction between the nominative and old dative has become muddled. mate
( dated or formal ) singular past subjunctive ofmeten mate m uncountable
Alternative spelling ofmaté From Proto-Central-Pacific*mate , fromProto-Oceanic *mate Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay
mate
dead ( no longer alive ) mate
death mate
feminine singular ofmat mate
inflection ofmater first / third-person singular present indicative / subjunctive second-person singular imperative IPA (key ) : /ˈmate/ [ˈma.t̪ɪ] Rhymes:-ate Hyphenation:ma‧te Borrowed fromFrench mat, mate
mate m or f plural mates
matte ( not reflective of light ) Fromxaque mate ( “ checkmate ” ) , fromArabic شَاه مَاتَ ( šāh māta ) , fromPersian شاه مات ( šâh mât ,“ the king [is] dead ” ) .
mate m plural mates
( chess ) mate checkmate Synonym: xaque mate Borrowed fromQuechua mati
mate m plural mates
maté ( the drink prepared fromyerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis ) Ilex paraguariensis maté Synonym: herba mate Frommatar ( “ kill ” ) .
mate m plural mates
( basketball ) dunk ( the act of dunking, particularly in basketball ) mate
inflection ofmatar first / third-person singular present subjunctive third-person singular imperative matē
Romanization of𐌼𐌰𐍄𐌴 FromLatin māter Proto-Italic *mātēr Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr
mate m plural mati
( obsolete ) mother Synonym: madre Borrowed fromSpanish mate Quechua mati ( “ gourd ” ) .
mate m invariable
yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis maté ( beverage ) mate1 in Treccani.it –Vocabolario Treccani on line , Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italianamate2 in Treccani.it –Vocabolario Treccani on line , Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italianamate
Rōmaji transcription ofまて Inherited fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay ( “ die; dead; sick; tired (of) ” ) , fromProto-Austronesian *ma-aCay ( “ die; dead; eclipse of sun or moon ” ) , fromProto-Austronesian *aCay ( “ death ” ) . CompareIlocano matay Tagalog matay Bikol Central matay Cebuano matay Maranao matay Malay mati
IPA (key ) : /məˈte/ [məˈtɛ] Hyphenation:ma‧te mate
dead mate
todie mate
todie Rina, A. Dj., Kabba, John Lado B. (2011 ) “mate ”, inKamus Bahasa Lamboya, Kabupaten Sumba Bakat [Dictionary of Lamboya Language, West Sumba Regency 66 ( locative singular ) IPA (key ) : /mɐˈtɛ/ ,[mɐˈtʲɛ] ( vocative singular ) IPA (key ) : /ˈmɐːtɛ/ ,[ˈmɐːtʲɛ] matè
locative singular ofmãtas ( “ measure ” ) mãte
vocative singular ofmãtas ( “ measure ” ) mate
saliva FromProto-Polynesian *mate Proto-Oceanic *mate Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay
mate
death sickness ,illness ,disease misfortune ,calamity ,defect desire ,need ,want mate
( stative ) dead ,deceased ,killed ( stative ) sick ,ill ,unwell ,diseased ( stative ) defeated ,conquered ,beaten ,overcome ( stative ) want of,deeply in love “mate ” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index , 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011,→ISBN mate ( Raguileo spelling )
The drinkmaté , prepared ofyerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis Wixaleyiñ: Mapucezugun-wigkazugun pici hemvlcijka (Wixaleyiñ: Small Mapudungun-Spanish dictionary), Beretta, Marta; Cañumil, Dario; Cañumil, Tulio, 2008. FromMiddle Low German mate Old Saxon gimato Proto-West Germanic *gamatjō Doublet ofmette
mate plural mates
mate ( companion ,comrade ) mate ( shipmate ) ( rare ) person ,human mate
Alternative form ofmat ( “ checkmate ” ) mate
Alternative form ofmat ( “ checkmate ” ) mate
Alternative form ofmat ( “ checkmate ” ) mate
Alternative form ofmat ( “ tired ” ) inflection ofmat weak singular strong / weak plural mate
Alternative form ofmaten ( “ to checkmate ” ) mate
Alternative form ofmaten ( “ to overpower ” ) Frommat
mate (imperative mat present tense mater passive mates simple past and past participle mata or matet present participle matende
tofeed “mate” inThe Bokmål Dictionary .Alternative scripts
𑀫𑀢𑁂 ( Brahmi script ) मते ( Devanagari script ) মতে ( Bengali script ) මතෙ ( Sinhalese script ) မတေ ( Burmese script ) มเต มะเต ( Thai script ) ᨾᨲᩮ ( Tai Tham script ) ມເຕ ມະເຕ ( Lao script ) មតេ ( Khmer script ) 𑄟𑄖𑄬 ( Chakma script ) mate
inflection ofmata ( “ dead; thought ” ) masculine / neuter locative singular masculine accusative plural feminine vocative singular mate
locative singular ofmata ( “ opinion ” ) Borrowed fromSpanish mate Quechua mati
mate f indeclinable
maté ,yerba mate ( shrub that produces the beverage maté ) Synonym: yerba mate maté ,yerba mate ( beverage maté ) Synonym: yerba mate mate in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Rhymes:( Brazil ) -at͡ʃi ( Portugal ) -atɨ Hyphenation:ma‧te Borrowed fromSpanish mate Quechua mati
mate m uncountable
( South Brazil ) maté ( Ilex paraguariensis ) ( a shrub native to southern South America ) Synonyms: erva mate erva ( South Brazil ) maté ( a beverage prepared from the leaves of this plant ) Synonym: chimarrão See the etymology of the correspondinglemma form.
mate
inflection ofmatar first / third-person singular present subjunctive third-person singular imperative FromProto-Polynesian *mate Proto-Oceanic *mate Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay
mate
dead ( no longer alive ) mate
todie Clipping ofmatematică
mate f uncountable
( colloquial ) maths FromProto-Bantu *màtáì
maté class6
saliva (liquid secreted into the mouth)IPA (key ) : /ˈmate/ [ˈma.t̪e] Rhymes:-ate Syllabification:ma‧te Borrowed fromFrench mat, mate
mate m or f masculine and feminine plural mates
matte ( not reflective of light ) Fromjaque mate ( “ checkmate ” ) , fromArabic شَاه مَاتَ ( šāh māta ) , fromPersian شاه مات ( šâh mât ,“ the king [is] dead ” ) .
mate m plural mates
( chess ) mate checkmate Synonym: jaque mate ( colloquial , Guatemala , Honduras , El Salvador , Nicaragua ) hand gesture Synonym: ademán Siempre me dan gracia susmates . ―I always find hishand gestures funny. ( colloquial , Guatemala , Honduras , El Salvador , Nicaragua ) feint ; somethingfeigned ; asimulation ( colloquial , Guatemala , Honduras , El Salvador , Nicaragua ) Mate Borrowed fromQuechua mati
mate m plural mates
maté ( the drink prepared fromyerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis ) ahollow gourd or cup in which maté is traditionally servedSynonym: porongo Ilex paraguariensis maté Synonyms: yerba mate hierba mate ( colloquial , Cono Sur ) head ( top part of the body ) Synonym: cabeza Possibly frommate
mate m or f masculine and feminine plural mates
( South America ) tan ,tanned ( skin colour ) Synonyms: bronceado tostado Clipping ofmatemática
mate f plural mates
( colloquial ) math /maths Synonym: mates Deverbal frommatar ( “ kill ” ) .
mate m plural mates
( basketball ) dunk ,slam dunk ( the act of dunking: put the ball directly downward through the hoop while grabbing onto the rim with power ) Synonyms: clavada volcada retacada hundida donqueo mate
inflection ofmatar first / third-person singular present subjunctive third-person singular imperative “mate ”, inDiccionario de la lengua española Dictionary of the Spanish Language Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish:Real Academia Española ], 2024 December 10 “mate ”, inDiccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish:Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española ],2010 Roberts, Edward A. (2014 )A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots , Xlibris Corporation,→ISBN FromProto-Bantu *màtáì
mate classVI (plural only )
saliva (liquid secreted into the mouth)Borrowed fromSpanish mate jaque mate ( “ checkmate ” ) , fromArabic شَاه مَاتَ ( šāh māta ) , fromPersian شاه مات ( šâh mât ,“ the king [is] dead ” ) .
mate (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜆᜒ ( chess )
checkmate FromProto-Polynesian *mate Proto-Oceanic *mate Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay
mate
dead ( no longer alive ) mate
todie FromProto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *mate Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay
mate
dead ( no longer alive ) mate
death mate
todie Fransiskus Monteiro (1985 )Kamus Tetun-Indonesia [Tetum-Indonesian Dictionary IPA (key ) : [ˈma.te] Hyphenation:ma‧te FromProto-Polynesian *mate Hawaiian make Samoan mate
mate (plural mamate
( intransitive ) die ( stative ) paralysed ( intransitive , of fire) go out ( intransitive , of players) go out ( intransitive , of engines) stop In the sense "to die",mate is normaly used to refer to plants and animals. When used to refer to a human,mate may be perceived as eitherdisrespectful orhumorous . FromProto-Polynesian *mate Tongan mate Samoan mate
mate
guess mate
( transitive ) guess mate
( to a male ) sororal nephew R. Simona, editor (1986 ),Tokelau Dictionary [2] 229 FromProto-Polynesian *mate
mate
death thedead mate
dead FromProto-Oceanic *mate Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay Proto-Austronesian *aCay
mate
todie Ross, Malcolm D. (2016 ) Andrew Pawley, editor,The lexicon of Proto-Oceanic: Volume 5, People: body and mind , Canberra: Australian National University,→ISBN →OCLC (Please provide a date or year) 
