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mate

noun
/meɪt//meɪt/UK/meːt/CA

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)).

  1. derived from *gamatjô✻
  2. derived from gimato
  3. derived from mate — “messmate”
  4. inherited from mate

Definitions

  1. A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g.…

    A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate.

    • 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.

  2. A breeding partner.

    • 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 a mate.

  3. A friend, usually of the same sex.

    • I'm going to the pub with a few mates.
    • He's my best mate.
  4. ›+ 23 more definitions

    1. Friendly term of address to a stranger, usually male, of similar age.

      • Excuse me, mate, have you got the time?

    2. In naval ranks, a non-commissioned officer or his subordinate (e.g. Boatswain's Mate,…

      In naval ranks, a non-commissioned officer or his subordinate (e.g. Boatswain's Mate, Gunner's Mate, Sailmaker's Mate, etc).

    3. A ship's officer, subordinate to the master on a commercial ship.

    4. A first mate.

    5. A technical assistant in certain trades (e.g. gasfitter's mate, plumber's mate)

      A technical assistant in certain trades (e.g. gasfitter's mate, plumber's mate); sometimes an apprentice.

    6. The other member of a matched pair of objects.

      • I found one of the socks I wanted to wear, but I couldn't find its mate.

    7. A suitable companion

      A suitable companion; a match; an equal.

      • Ye knew me once no mate / For you; there sitting where you durst not soar.

    8. To match, fit together without space between.

      • The pieces of the puzzle mate perfectly.

    9. To copulate.

    10. To pair in order to raise offspring.

    11. To arrange in matched pairs.

    12. To introduce (animals) together for the purpose of breeding.

    13. To copulate with.

    14. To marry

      To marry; to match (a person).

      • If she be mated with an equal husband.

    15. To match oneself against

      To match oneself against; to oppose as equal; to compete with.

      • There is no passion in the mind of man so weak but it mates and masters the fear of death.
      • I, […] in the way of loyalty and truth, […] / Dare mate a sounder man than Surrey can be.

    16. To fit (objects) together without space between.

    17. To come together as companions, comrades, partners, etc.

      • Indeed, some cases of devotion that were met with were quite touching; and very often to all appearances the pairs were not always mated from the same class of society.

    18. To move (a space shuttle orbiter) onto the back of an aircraft that can carry it.

    19. Clipping of checkmate.

    20. To confuse

      To confuse; to confound.

      • I think you are all mated, or stark mad.

    21. Alternative spelling of maté, an aromatic tea-like drink prepared from the holly yerba…

      Alternative spelling of maté, an aromatic tea-like drink prepared from the holly yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis).

    22. The abovementioned plant

      The abovementioned plant; the leaves and shoots used for the tea

    23. A barangay of Tayabas, Quezon, Philippines.

The neighborhood

Derived

amate, Billy no mates, breakfast-mate, checkmate, farm-mate, inmate, intermate, Johnny no mates, mateable, matehood, mateless, mateship, matess, matey, Nigel no mates, nonmate, Norman no mates, outmate, plane-mate, remate, train-mate, undermate, unmate, mating

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at mate. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01mate02breeding03sexual04gender05roles06role07character08breed

A definitional loop anchored at mate. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

8 hops · closes at mate

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA