mate

Meaning

Noun

1. A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate.
2. (especially) A breeding partner.
3. (Australia, British, Ireland, New-Zealand, South-Africa, colloquial) A friend, usually of the same sex.
4. (Australia, British, Ireland, New-Zealand, South-Africa, colloquial) Friendly term of address to a stranger, usually male, of similar age.
5. In naval ranks, a non-commissioned officer or his subordinate (e.g. Boatswain's Mate, Gunner's Mate, Sailmaker's Mate, etc).
6. A ship's officer, subordinate to the master on a commercial ship.
7. A first mate.
8. A technical assistant in certain trades (e.g. gasfitter's mate, plumber's mate); sometimes an apprentice.
9. The other member of a matched pair of objects.
10. A suitable companion; a match; an equal.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To match, fit together without space between.
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 copulate with.
7. (transitive) To marry; to match (a person).
8. (obsolete, transitive) To match oneself against; to oppose as equal; to compete with.
9. (transitive) To fit (objects) together without space between.
10. (intransitive) To come together as companions, comrades, partners, etc.
11. (transitive) To move (a space shuttle orbiter) onto the back of an aircraft that can carry it.

Verb

Clipping of checkmate.

Verb

To confuse; to confound.

Opposite of

demate

Synonyms

friend

copulate

couple

👫

companion

spouse

pair

partner

match

fellow

checkmate

comrade

buddy

pal

associate

husband and wife

husband

🤵

marry

colleague

fellow-thinker

wife

👰‍♀️

teammate

tread

officer

chum

helper

consort

counterpart

matey

join

breed

helpmate

inseminate

Paraguay tea

mate with

matey-boy

better half

peer

service

mating

mates

bridal pair

mount

twin

make love

married person

helpmeet

assistant

cobber

bride and groom

dude

Translations

Freund

mate

paren

sich paaren

amico

compañero

arkadaş

accoppiarsi

🧉

accoppiare

👫

amice

ami

geestverwant

paaren

🧉

compagnon

amic

Pronounced as (IPA)

/meɪt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: mate

Cognate with Middle English: mette

Cognate with Old English: ġemetta

Cognate with German: -

Cognate with Dutch: ge-

Cognate with Old English: mete

Cognate with German: Maat

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Moat

Cognate with Dutch: maat

Cognate with Old English: ġe-

Cognate with English: co-

Cognate with English: meat

Inherited from Middle English: -

In summary

From Middle English mate, a borrowing from Middle Low German mate (“messmate”) (replacing Middle English mette (“table companion, mate, partner”), from Old English ġemetta (“sharer of food, table-guest”)), derived from Proto-Germanic *gamatjô, itself from *ga- (“together”) (related to German and Dutch ge-) + *matjô (from *matiz (“food”)), related to Old English mete (“food”)). From the same Middle Low German source stems German Low German Maat (“journeyman, companion”), German Maat (“naval non-commissioned officer”). Cognates include Saterland Frisian Moat (“friend, buddy, comrade, mate”), Dutch maat (“mate, partner, colleague, friend”). More at Old English ġe-, English co-, English meat. Doublet of maat.
Compare typologically Latin compāniō (whence companion) (< con- + panis + -ō), Russian однока́шник (odnokášnik) (< одно- (odno-) + ка́ша (káša) + -ник (-nik)).