mate

🧉

Meaning

1. A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate.
2. A breeding partner.
3. (colloquial) A friend, usually of the same sex.
4. (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.

friend

fellow-thinker

mate with

matey-boy

married person

bridal pair

bride and groom

fellow worker

have sexual intercourse

halt

sexual intercourse

peer

Ilex paraguariensis

paraguay tea

fere

siamese

close friend

Comrade

copulate with

cully

engage in sexual intercourse

get along well

travelling companion

navigation officer

interlinkage

sport

be well-matched

bottle-holder

be friendly

become partners

match up

trusted couple

association trail

a couple of

Frequency

Pronounced as (IPA)

/meɪt/

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.