Dictionary.com

mate

1
[ meyt ]
/ meɪt /
Save This Word!

noun
verb (used with object), mat·ed, mat·ing.
verb (used without object), mat·ed, mat·ing.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of mate

1
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”; see origin at meat

OTHER WORDS FROM mate

mateless, adjective

Other definitions for mate (2 of 4)

mate2
[ meyt ]
/ meɪt /
Chess.

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

Origin of mate

2
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb maten, matein, matten “to checkmate, defeat,” from Old French mater, ultimately from Persian; see origin at checkmate

Other definitions for mate (3 of 4)

mate3
[ mah-tey, mat-ey ]
/ ˈmɑ teɪ, ˈmæt eɪ /

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 called Paraguay tea, yerba mate .

Origin of mate

3
First recorded in 1710–20; from American Spanish, from Quechua mati, the calabash gourd in which the herb is steeped

Other definitions for mate (4 of 4)

Mat.E.

abbreviation
Materials Engineer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mate (1 of 3)

mate1
/ (meɪt) /

noun
verb

Derived forms of mate

mateless, adjective

Word Origin for mate

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

British Dictionary definitions for mate (2 of 3)

mate2
/ (meɪt) /

noun, verb
chess See checkmate

British Dictionary definitions for mate (3 of 3)

maté

mate

/ (ˈmɑːteɪ, ˈmæteɪ) /

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
FEEDBACK