Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

mate1

[meyt]
See more synonyms for mate on Thesaurus.com
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.
Show More
verb (used with object), mat·ed, mat·ing.
  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.
Show More
verb (used without object), mat·ed, mat·ing.
  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.
Show More

Origin of mate1

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle Low German; replacing Middle English mette, Old English gemetta messmate, guest. See meat
Related formsmate·less, adjective

mate2

[meyt]Chess.
noun, verb (used with object), mat·ed, mat·ing, interjection
  1. checkmate(defs 1, 3, 5).
Show More

Origin of mate2

1175–1225; Middle English mat defeated (adj.), defeat (noun) < Old French ≪ Persian; see checkmate

mate3

[mah-tey, mat-ey]
noun
  1. maté.
Show More

maté

[mah-tey, mat-ey, mah-tey]
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.
Show More
Also mate.

Origin of maté

1710–20; < American Spanish mate, orig. the vessel in which the herb is steeped < Quechua mati
Also called Paraguay tea, yerba maté.

Mat.E.

  1. Materials Engineer.
Show More
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mate

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The mate had done what he could to prejudice the captain against the boy he hated.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • From his dress, and the commands he appeared to be issuing, Robert judged that it was the mate.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • The mate with one of the crew came ashore in the boat for help and a doctor.

  • Next day, the discharged man and the second mate were pressed.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • There was a regular hard horse of a boatswain's-mate with us, of the name of McNally.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for mate

mate1

noun
  1. the sexual partner of an animal
  2. a marriage partner
    1. informal, mainly British, Australian and NZa friend, usually of the same sex: often used between males in direct address
    2. (in combination)an associate, colleague, fellow sharer, etca 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 assistanta plumber's mate
  7. archaic a suitable associate
  8. mate rates Australian slang the reduced rate charged for work done for a friend
Show More
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
Show More
Derived Formsmateless, adjective

Word Origin

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

mate2

noun, verb
  1. chess See checkmate
Show More

maté

mate

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
Show More
Modern Greek name: Paraguay tea, yerba, yerba maté

Word Origin

C18: from American Spanish (originally referring to the vessel in which the drink was brewed), from Quechua máti gourd
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for mate

n.1

"associate, fellow, comrade," mid-14c., also "companion" (late 14c.), from Middle Low German mate, gemate "one eating at the same table, messmate," from Proto-Germanic *ga-maton "having food (*matiz) together (*ga-)," which is etymologically identical with companion. Cognate with Danish and Swedish mat, German Maat "mate," Dutch maat, from German. Meaning "one of a wedded pair" is attested from 1540s. Used as a form of address by sailors, laborers, etc., since at least mid-15c. Meaning "officer on a merchant vessel is from late 15c.

Show More

v.2

"checkmate," c.1300, from Old French mater "to checkmate, defeat, overcome," from mat "checkmated" (see checkmate (v.)).

Show More

v.1

c.1500, "to equal, rival," 1590s as "to match, couple, marry, join in marriage," from mate (n.1). Also, of animals, "to pair for the purpose of breeding." Related: Mated; mating.

Show More

n.2

in chess, "a condition of checkmate," c.1300, mat, from Middle French mat, from Old French mater (see mate (v.2)).

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
mate in Medicine

mate

(māt)
n.
  1. A spouse.
  2. Either of a pair of animals or birds that associate in order to propagate.
  3. Either of a pair of animals brought together for breeding.
Show More
v.
  1. To become joined in marriage.
  2. To be paired for reproducing; breed.
  3. To copulate.
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.