messmate

[ mes-meyt ]

/ ˈmɛsˌmeɪt /

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noun

a person, especially a friend, who is a member of a group regularly taking meals together, as in an army camp.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of messmate

First recorded in 1720–30; mess + mate¹

Words nearby messmate

Messina, Messines, mess jacket, mess kit, messman, messmate, messroom, Messrs., messuage, mess-up, mess with

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

How to use messmate in a sentence

Messmate o' mine on the Bedford, and afore that on the Vesuvius bomb.
The Adventures of Harry Revel|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
My worthy messmate was taken prisoner and kept in France some eight or ten years or more.
Hurricane Hurry|W.H.G. Kingston
I heard an account of the expedition from one of the seamen who had been engaged in it, as he described it to a messmate.
Peter the Whaler|W.H.G. Kingston
"It looks like a whale of a job, messmate," remarked Dick, as he and Matt walked away from the hotel.
Motor Matt's Peril, or, Cast Away in the Bahamas|Stanley R. Matthews

"Messmate," answered Mr. Jope; and, opening his mouth, pointed down it with his forefinger.
The Adventures of Harry Revel|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

British Dictionary definitions for messmate

messmate

/ (ˈmɛsˌmeɪt) /

noun

a person with whom one shares meals in a mess, esp in the army

Australian any of various eucalyptus trees that grow amongst other species

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