mate

See also maté, matė, máte, mäte, måte, māte, mātē, mațe, and Máté

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /meɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪt

Etymology 1

From Middle English, from Middle Low German mate (“messmate”) (replacing Middle English mette from Old English ġemetta (“sharer of food, table-guest”)), derived from Proto-Germanic *gamatjô, itself from Proto-Germanic *ga- (“together”) (related to German and Dutch ge-) + Proto-Germanic *matjô (from Proto-Germanic *matiz (“food”)), related to Old English mete (“food”)). More at co-, meat.

Noun

mate (plural mates)

1. a fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate
2. (especially of a non-human animal) a breeding partner
3. (colloquial, UK, Australia, New Zealand) a friend, usually of the same sex

   I'm going to the pub with a few mates.

   He's my best mate.

4. (colloquial, UK, Australia, New Zealand) a colloquial "sir"; an informal and friendly term of address to a stranger, usually male

   Excuse me, mate, have you got the time?

5. (nautical) In naval ranks, a non-commissioned officer or his subordinate (e.g. Boatswain's Mate, Gunner's Mate, Sailmaker's Mate, etc).
6. (nautical) Short for first mate.
7. A technical assistant in certain trades (e.g. gasfitter's mate, plumber's mate); sometimes an apprentice.
8. 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.

9. (nautical) A ship's officer, subordinate to the master on a commercial ship.

Synonyms

• fellow
• friend
• buddy
• sir
• partner
• See also Wikisaurus:friend

Derived terms

Derived terms

bedmate bunkmate cellmate classmate crewmate

flatmate floormate housemate mateship office mate

roommate shipmate teammate tourmate workmate

Translations

of breeding animal: sexual partner

• Dutch: gezel (nl) m, partner (nl) m and f, paringsgezel (nl) m
• Greek: σύντροφος (el) (sýntrofos) m (human), ταίρι (el) (taíri) n
• Japanese: 相手 (ja) (aite)

• Russian: пара (ru) (pára) f, самец (ru) (saméc) m (male), самка (ru) (sámka) f (female)
• Spanish: pareja (es) f

other member of a pair

• Finnish: pari (fi)
• Greek: ταίρι (el) (taíri) n

• Turkish: çift (tr)

nautical: ship's officer on commercial vessel

• Dutch: maat (nl) m, scheepsmaat (nl) m
• Finnish: perämies (fi)

• Greek: υποπλοίαρχος (el) (ypoploíarchos) m

nautical: NCO or his subordinate in naval ranks

• Finnish: matruusi (fi)

• Russian: помощник капитана (ru) (pomóščnik kapitána) m

nautical: first mate — see first mate

trade assistant

• Dutch: gast (nl) m, maat (nl) m
• Finnish: apumies (fi)

• Greek: συνέταιρος (el) (synétairos) m, συνεργάτης (el) (synergtis) m, συνάδελφος (el) (synádelfos) m

friend

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 朋友 (cmn) (péngyǒu)

• Dutch: maat(je) m and n, kameraad (nl) m, makker (nl) m, gabber (nl) m
• Finnish: kaveri (fi)
• French: copain (fr) m, camarade (fr) m
• German: (colloquial) Kumpel (de) m

• Greek: φίλος (el) (fílos) m
• Japanese: 友達 (ja) (tomodachi)
• Maori: (direct address) e hoa (mi)
• Persian: رفیق (fa) (rafiq)
• Russian: товарищ (ru) (továrišč) m, друг (ru) (drug) m, приятель (ru) (prijátelʹ) m

fellow, associate, colleague (in combination)

• Finnish: toveri (fi)
• Greek: συνάδελφος (el) (synádelfos) m, συνεργάτης (el) (synergátis) m

• Russian: товарищ (ru) (továrišč) m, напарник (ru) (napárnik) m, напарница (ru) (napárnica) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: copain m, pote m
• German: Mate m, Matt (5), Kumpel m

• Japanese: 相方 (ja) (aikata) (2), 片割れ (ja) (kataware) (2),王手 (ja) (oute) (5)
• Telugu: జత, జతగాడు, జత గత్తె, సహచరుడు, సహాధ్యాయి

Verb

mate (third-person singular simple present mates, present participle mating, simple past and past participle mated)

1. (intransitive) To match, fit together without space between.

   The pieces of the puzzle mate perfectly.

2. (intransitive) To copulate.
3. (intransitive) To pair in order to raise offspring
4. (transitive) To arrange in matched pairs.
5. (transitive) To introduce (animals) together for the purpose of breeding.
6. (transitive) To marry; to match (a person).
   • Shakespeare

     If she be mated with an equal husband.

7. (transitive) To match oneself against; to oppose as equal; to compete with.
   • Francis Bacon

     There is no passion in the mind of man so weak but it mates and masters the fear of death.

   • Shakespeare

     I, […] in the way of loyalty and truth, […] / Dare mate a sounder man than Surrey can be.

8. (transitive) To fit (objects) together without space between.

Synonyms

• couple
• match
• pair

Derived terms

• mating

Translations

copulate

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 交尾 (cmn) (jiāowěi)

• Dutch: paren (nl)
• French: s'accoupler (fr)

• German: sich paaren (de)
• Greek: ζευγαρώνω (el) (zevgaróno)
• Malay: awan (ms)
• Russian: спариваться (ru) (spárivatʹsja)

pair in order to raise offspring

• Dutch: paren (nl)
• Greek: ζευγαρώνω (el) (zevgaróno)

• Malay: awankan (ms)
• Russian: спаривать (ru) (spárivatʹ)

arrange in matched pairs

• Dutch: koppelen (nl), paren (nl)

• Greek: ζευγαρώνω (el) (zevgaróno)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: s'assembler

• Korean: 맞다 (majda, mat-), (causative) 맞추다 (majchuda, mat-) (for fitting); 짝짓다 (jjagjisda, jjakjitda) (for breeding)

Etymology 2

From Middle English verb maten, Middle French mater, from Old French noun mat (“checkmate”), from Persian شاه مات (šâh mât).

Noun

mate (plural mates)

1. (chess) Short for checkmate.

Translations

checkmate — see checkmate

Verb

mate (third-person singular simple present mates, present participle mating, simple past and past participle mated)

1. (intransitive) To win a game of chess by putting the opponent in checkmate

Translations

put an opponent in checkmate

• Dutch: schaakmat spelen

• Russian: поставить мат (ru) (postávitʹ mat) pf.

Etymology 3

See maté

Noun

mate (plural mates)

1. Alternative spelling of maté, an aromatic tea-like drink prepared from the holly yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis).
2. The abovementioned plant; the leaves and shoots used for the tea

Anagrams

• meat
• meta, Meta
• tame
• team

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Dutch

Etymology

A more archaic form of maat (“measure”), in petrified use in various contexts and expressions. From Middle Dutch mate, from Old Dutch *māta, from Proto-Germanic *mētō.

Noun

mate f (plural maten, diminutive maatje)

1. A measure, degree: quantity or intensity of something abstract

See also

• maat

Verb

mate

1. singular past subjunctive of meten

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Fijian

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic (compare Hawaiian make, Maori mate, Rapa Nui mate, Tahitian mate), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay (compare Cebuano matay, Chamorro matai, Ilocano matay, Indonesian mati, Javanese mati, Kapampangan mate, mete, Malagasy maty, Malay mati, Palauan mad, Tagalog matay), from Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay.

Adjective

mate

1. dead (no longer alive)

Noun

mate

1. death

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mat/, X-SAMPA: /mat/

Adjective

mate

1. feminine form of mat, dull.

Verb

mate

1. form of mater

Anagrams

• méat

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Galician

Verb

mate

1. first-person singular present subjunctive of matar
2. third-person singular present subjunctive of matar

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Gothic

Romanization

matē

1. See 𐌼𐌰𐍄𐌴

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Japanese

Romanization

mate

1. See まて

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Maori

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mate (compare Hawaiian make, Rapa Nui mate, Tahitian mate), from Proto-Oceanic (compare Fijian mate), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay (compare Cebuano matay, Chamorro matai, Ilocano matay, Indonesian mati, Javanese mati, Kapampangan mate, mete, Malagasy maty, Malay mati, Palauan mad, Tagalog matay), from Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay.

Adjective

mate

1. dead (no longer alive)

Noun

mate

1. death

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Mapudungun

Noun

mate (using Raguileo Alphabet)

1. The drink maté, prepared of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis).

See also

• matetun

References

• Wixaleyiñ: Mapucezugun-wigkazugun pici hemvlcijka (Wixaleyiñ: Small Mapudungun-Spanish dictionary), Beretta, Marta; Cañumil, Dario; Cañumil, Tulio, 2008.

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Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

mate (present tense mater; past tense and past participle mata or matet)

1. feed

Synonyms

• fôre (about animals)

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Rapa Nui

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mate (compare Hawaiian make, Maori mate, Tahitian mate), from Proto-Oceanic (compare Fijian mate), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay (compare Cebuano matay, Chamorro matai, Ilocano matay, Indonesian mati, Javanese mati, Kapampangan mate, mete, Malagasy maty, Malay mati, Palauan mad, Tagalog matay), from Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay.

Adjective

mate

1. dead (no longer alive)

Verb

mate

1. to die

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Spanish

Adjective

mate m and f (plural mates)

1. matte (not reflective of light)
2. (South America) tan, tanned (skin colour)

Noun

mate m (plural mates)

1. (chess) mate, checkmate
2. The drink maté prepared of yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis).
3. A hollow calabash gourd, in which the maté is traditionally served.
4. (colloquial, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay) A head.
5. (colloquial) maths, mathematics (short for "matemática")

Synonyms

• jaque mate (checkmate).

Wikipedia

Verb

mate (infinitive matar)

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of matar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of matar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of matar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of matar.

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Swahili

Noun

mate

1. saliva (liquid secreted into the mouth)

This Swahili entry was created from the translations listed at saliva. It may be less reliable than other entries, and may be missing parts of speech or additional senses. Please also see mate in the Swahili Wiktionary. This notice will be removed when the entry is checked. (more information) July 2009

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Tahitian

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mate (compare Hawaiian make, Maori mate), Rapa Nui mate, from Proto-Oceanic (compare Fijian mate), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay (compare Cebuano matay, Chamorro matai, Ilocano matay, Indonesian mati, Javanese mati, Kapampangan mate, mete, Malagasy maty, Malay mati, Palauan mad, Tagalog matay), from Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay.

Adjective

mate

1. dead (no longer alive)

Verb

mate

1. to die

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Tongan

Etymology

Proto-Polynesian *mate.

Noun

mate

1. death
2. the dead

Adjective

mate

1. dead

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Portuguese

Verb

mate

1. first-person singular present subjunctive of matar
2. third-person singular present subjunctive of matar
3. first-person singular imperative of matar
4. third-person singular imperative of matar