mate

[meyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a partner in marriage; spouse.

one member of a pair of mated animals.

one of a pair: I can't find the mate to this glove.

a counterpart.

an associate; fellow worker; comrade; partner (often used in combination): classmate; roommate.

friend; buddy; pal (often used as an informal term of address): Let me give you a hand with that, mate.

Nautical.

first mate.
any of a number of officers of varying degrees of rank subordinate to the master of a merchant ship.
an assistant to a warrant officer or other functionary on a ship.

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

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

Archaic. an equal in reputation; peer; match.

verb (used with object), mat·ed, mat·ing.

to join as a mate or as mates.

to bring (animals) together for breeding purposes.

to match or marry.

to join, fit, or associate suitably: to mate thought with daring action.

to connect or link: a telephone system mated to a computerized information service.

to treat as comparable.

verb (used without object), mat·ed, mat·ing.

to associate as a mate or as mates.

(of animals) to copulate.

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

to marry.

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

Archaic. to consort; keep company.

Origin of mate

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle Low German; replacing Middle English mette, Old English gemetta messmate, guest. See meat

Related formsmate·less, adjective

mate

[meyt]Chess.

noun, verb (used with object), mat·ed, mat·ing, interjection

checkmate(defs 1, 3, 5).

Origin of mate

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

mate

[mah-tey, mat-ey]

noun

maté.

maté

[mah-tey, mat-ey, mah-tey]

noun

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

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

the dried leaves of this tree.

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.

Materials Engineer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for mate

comrade, acquaintance, buddy, companion, bride, roommate, schoolmate, spouse, coworker, playmate, classmate, colleague, sidekick, concomitant, helper, twin, cohort, intimate, duplicate, assistant

Examples from the Web for mate

Contemporary Examples of mate

And then I said, ‘Well, chief, when the admiral comes aboard, the first mate has to pipe him in.’
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
Mating with a cousin or brother is safer than risking life and limb to mate with an outsider.
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family
Helen Thompson
December 29, 2014
Read the profile of a 36-year-old man, and he'll say he's looking for a mate between, oh, 26 and 42.
Heartache by the Numbers and OkCupid’s Founder Has Got Yours
Will Doig
October 6, 2014
“Benedict Cumberbatch is a mate of mine, and we did a charity show at the Old Vic together,” said Redmayne.
Oscar's Battle of the Brits: Pals Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne Vie for the Gold
Marlow Stern
September 11, 2014
But no worries, mate, you will make it all up by selling T-shirts at your gigs.
Five Lessons the Faltering Music Industry Could Learn From TV
Ted Gioia
August 3, 2014

Historical Examples of mate

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.
Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates
Howard Pyle
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

mate

noun

the sexual partner of an animal

a marriage partner

informal, mainly British, Australian and NZa friend, usually of the same sex: often used between males in direct address
(in combination)an associate, colleague, fellow sharer, etca classmate; a flatmate

one of a pair of matching items

nautical

short for first mate
any officer below the master on a commercial ship
a warrant officer's assistant on a ship

(in some trades) an assistanta plumber's mate

archaic a suitable associate

mate rates Australian slang the reduced rate charged for work done for a friend

verb

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

to marry or join in marriage

(tr) to join as a pair; match

Derived Formsmateless, adjective

Word Origin for mate

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

mate

noun, verb

chess See checkmate

maté

mate

noun

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

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

Modern Greek name: Paraguay tea, yerba, yerba maté

Word Origin for maté

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.

v.2

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

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.

n.2

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

mate in Medicine

mate

[māt]

n.

A spouse.

Either of a pair of animals or birds that associate in order to propagate.

Either of a pair of animals brought together for breeding.

v.

To become joined in marriage.

To be paired for reproducing; breed.

To copulate.