Wiktionary

mate

See also: Appendix:Variations of "mate" and maté

EnglishEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /meɪt/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Audio (AU)(file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪt

Etymology 1Edit

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.

NounEdit

mate (plural mates)

  1. A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate.
    Synonyms: fellow, (poetic, archaic) fere
    • 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 152:
      A "mate" was a "mate" - share and share alike, no matter how bad might be the times, or how long a spell of ill luck had attended them.
  2. (especially of a non-human animal) A breeding partner.
  3. (colloquial, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, sometimes elsewhere in the Commonwealth) A friend, usually of the same sex.
    Synonyms: friend, buddy; see also Thesaurus:friend
    I'm going to the pub with a few mates.
    He's my best mate.
  4. (colloquial, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, sometimes elsewhere in the Commonwealth) Friendly term of address to a stranger, usually male, of similar age.
    Synonym: buddy
    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) A ship's officer, subordinate to the master on a commercial ship.
  7. (nautical) 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.
    I found one of the socks I wanted to wear, but I couldn't find its mate.
  10. A suitable companion; a match; an equal.
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
nautical: first mate — see first mate
friend — See also translations at friend
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

VerbEdit

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.
    Synonyms: match, couple, pair
    The pieces of the puzzle mate perfectly.
  2. (intransitive) To copulate.
    Synonyms: couple; see also Thesaurus: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, of an animal) To copulate with.
  7. (transitive) To marry; to match (a person).
  8. (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.
    • 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 152:
      Indeed, some cases of devotion that were met with were quite touching; and very often to all appearances the pairs were not always mated from the same class of society.
  11. (transitive, aerospace) To move (a space shuttle orbiter) onto the back of an aircraft that can carry it.
    Antonym: demate
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
to engage in sexual intercourse — see copulate
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Etymology 2Edit

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

NounEdit

mate (plural mates)

  1. (chess) Clipping of checkmate.
TranslationsEdit
checkmate — see checkmate

VerbEdit

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

  1. (chess) Clipping of checkmate.
TranslationsEdit

Etymology 3Edit

From Middle English maten (“to overpower”), from Old French mater (“to kill”), from Vulgar Latin *mattō, of unclear origin.

VerbEdit

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

  1. (obsolete) To confuse; to confound.

Etymology 4Edit

See maté.

NounEdit

mate (plural mates)

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

AnagramsEdit

AsturianEdit

VerbEdit

mate

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

CebuanoEdit

EtymologyEdit

Short for English checkmate, from Middle English chekmat, from Old French eschec mat, from Arabic شَاهُ مَاتَ‎ (šāhu māta), from Persian شاه مات‎ (šâh mât, “the king [is] amazed”).

PronunciationEdit

  • Hyphenation: ma‧te

NounEdit

mate

  1. (chess) a checkmate

VerbEdit

mate

  1. (chess) to checkmate; to put the king of an opponent into checkmate

InterjectionEdit

mate

  1. (chess) checkmate

QuotationsEdit

For quotations using this term, see Citations:mate.

CzechEdit

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

mate

  1. third-person singular present of mást

DutchEdit

EtymologyEdit

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.

PronunciationEdit

  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: ma‧te

NounEdit

mate f (plural maten, diminutive maatje n)

  1. A measure, degree: quantity or intensity of something abstract
    In welke mate voel je je verantwoordelijk voor het ongeluk?
    To what degree do you feel responsible for the accident?

See alsoEdit

VerbEdit

mate

  1. (archaic) singular past subjunctive of meten

FijianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Central-Pacific *mate, from Proto-Oceanic *mate, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay, from Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay.

AdjectiveEdit

mate

  1. dead (no longer alive)

NounEdit

mate

  1. death

FrenchEdit

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

mate

  1. feminine singular of mat

VerbEdit

mate

  1. inflection of mater:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

AnagramsEdit

GalicianEdit

Etymology 1Edit

Borrowed from French mat, mate.

AdjectiveEdit

mate m or f (plural mates)

  1. matte (not reflective of light)

Etymology 2Edit

From xaque mate (“checkmate”), from Arabic شَاه مَاتَ‎ (šāh māta), from Persian شاه مات‎ (šâh mât, “the king [is] dead”).

NounEdit

mate m (plural mates)

  1. (chess) mate, checkmate
    Synonym: xaque mate
Derived termsEdit

Etymology 3Edit

Borrowed from Quechua mati.

NounEdit

mate m (plural mates)

  2. maté (the drink prepared from yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis)
  3. Ilex paraguariensis, a plant used to make maté
    Synonym: herba mate
Derived termsEdit

Etymology 4Edit

From matar (“kill”).

NounEdit

mate m (plural mates)

  1. (basketball) dunk (the act of dunking, particularly in basketball)

VerbEdit

mate

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

GothicEdit

RomanizationEdit

matē

  1. Romanization of 𐌼𐌰𐍄𐌴

ItalianEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /ˈma.te/
  • Rhymes: -ate
  • Syllabification: mà‧te

Etymology 1Edit

From Latin māter, from Proto-Italic *mātēr, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr.

NounEdit

mate m (plural mati)

  1. (obsolete) mother
    Synonym: madre

See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

Borrowed from Quechua mati (“gourd”).

Alternative formsEdit

NounEdit

mate m (invariable)

  1. yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis)
  2. maté (beverage)

Further readingEdit

  • mate1 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
  • mate2 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

AnagramsEdit

JapaneseEdit

RomanizationEdit

mate

  1. Rōmaji transcription of まて

LaboyaEdit

VerbEdit

mate

  1. to die

Derived termsEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • Rina, A. Dj.; Kabba, John Lado B. (2011), “mate”, in Kamus Bahasa Lamboya, Kabupaten Sumba Bakat [Dictionary of Lamboya Language, West Sumba Regency], Waikabubak: Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata, Kabupaten Sumba Bakat, page 66

MaoriEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Polynesian *mate, from Proto-Oceanic *mate, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay, from Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay.

NounEdit

mate

  1. death
  2. sickness, illness, disease
  3. misfortune, calamity, defect
  4. desire, need, want

Derived termsEdit

VerbEdit

mate

  1. (stative) to be dead, deceased, killed
  2. (stative) to be sick, ill, unwell, diseased
  3. (stative) to be defeated, conquered, beaten, overcome
  4. (stative) to be in want of, deeply in love

Further readingEdit

  • “mate” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori-English, English-Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.

MapudungunEdit

NounEdit

mate (Raguileo spelling)

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

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

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

Middle EnglishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle Low German mate, from Old Saxon gimato, from Proto-West Germanic *gamatjō. Doublet of mette.

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

mate (plural mates)

  1. mate (companion, comrade)
  2. mate (shipmate)
  3. (rare) person, human
DescendantsEdit
  • English: mate
  • Scots: mate
ReferencesEdit

Etymology 2Edit

InterjectionEdit

mate

  1. Alternative form of mat (“checkmate”)

NounEdit

mate

  1. Alternative form of mat (“checkmate”)

AdjectiveEdit

mate

  1. Alternative form of mat (“checkmate”)

Etymology 3Edit

AdjectiveEdit

mate

  1. Alternative form of mat (“tired”)
  2. inflection of mat:
    1. weak singular
    2. strong/weak plural

Etymology 4Edit

VerbEdit

mate

  1. Alternative form of maten (“to checkmate”)

Etymology 5Edit

VerbEdit

mate

  1. Alternative form of maten (“to overpower”)

Norwegian BokmålEdit

EtymologyEdit

From mat.

VerbEdit

mate (imperative mat, present tense mater, passive mates, simple past and past participle mata or matet, present participle matende)

  1. to feed

SynonymsEdit

Related termsEdit

ReferencesEdit

PaliEdit

Alternative formsEdit

Alternative forms

AdjectiveEdit

mate

  1. inflection of mata (“dead; thought”):
    1. masculine/neuter locative singular
    2. masculine accusative plural
    3. feminine vocative singular

NounEdit

mate

  1. locative singular of mata (“opinion”)

PolishEdit

 
Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from Spanish mate, from Quechua mati.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

mate f (indeclinable)

  1. maté, yerba mate (shrub that produces the beverage maté)
    Synonym: yerba mate
  2. maté, yerba mate (beverage maté)
    Synonym: yerba mate

Further readingEdit

  • mate in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • mate in Polish dictionaries at PWN

PortugueseEdit

PronunciationEdit

 

Etymology 1Edit

Borrowed from Spanish mate, from Quechua mati.

NounEdit

mate m (uncountable)

  1. (South Brazil) maté (Ilex paraguariensis) (a shrub native to southern South America)
    Synonyms: erva mate, erva
  2. (South Brazil) maté (a beverage prepared from the leaves of this plant)
    Synonym: chimarrão

Etymology 2Edit

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

VerbEdit

mate

  1. inflection of matar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Rapa NuiEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Polynesian *mate, from Proto-Oceanic *mate, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay, from Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay.

AdjectiveEdit

mate

  1. dead (no longer alive)

VerbEdit

mate

  1. to die

RomanianEdit

EtymologyEdit

Clipping of matematică.

NounEdit

mate f (uncountable)

  1. (colloquial) maths

ShonaEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Bantu *màtáì.

NounEdit

maté class 6

  1. saliva (liquid secreted into the mouth)

SpanishEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /ˈmate/ [ˈma.t̪e]
  • Rhymes: -ate
  • Syllabification: ma‧te

Etymology 1Edit

Borrowed from French mat, mate.

AdjectiveEdit

mate (plural mates)

  1. matte (not reflective of light)

Etymology 2Edit

From jaque mate (“checkmate”), from Arabic شَاه مَاتَ‎ (šāh māta), from Persian شاه مات‎ (šâh mât, “the king [is] dead”).

NounEdit

mate m (plural mates)

  1. (chess) mate, checkmate
    Synonym: jaque mate
  2. (colloquial, El Salvador) a hand gesture
Derived termsEdit

Etymology 3Edit

Borrowed from Quechua mati.

NounEdit

mate m (plural mates)

  2. maté (the drink prepared from yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis))
  3. a hollow gourd or cup in which maté is traditionally served
    Synonym: porongo
  4. Ilex paraguariensis, a plant used to make maté
    Synonyms: yerba mate, hierba mate
  5. (colloquial, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay) head (top part of the body)
    Synonym: cabeza
Derived termsEdit
DescendantsEdit

Etymology 4Edit

Possibly from sense 1 in the sense of "dull" or "not reflective of light."

AdjectiveEdit

mate (plural mates)

  1. (South America) tan, tanned (skin colour)

Etymology 5Edit

Clipping of matemática.

NounEdit

mate f (plural mates)

  1. (colloquial) math / maths
    Synonym: mates

Etymology 6Edit

From matar (“kill”).

NounEdit

mate m (plural mates)

  1. (basketball) dunk, slam dunk (the act of dunking: put the ball directly downward through the hoop while grabbing onto the rim with power)
    Synonyms: clavada, volcada, retacada, hundida, donqueo

VerbEdit

mate

  1. inflection of matar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Further readingEdit

  • “mate”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
  • Roberts, Edward A. (2014) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN

SwahiliEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Bantu *màtáì.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

mate (ma class, plural only)

  1. saliva (liquid secreted into the mouth)

TagalogEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from Spanish mate.

PronunciationEdit

  • Hyphenation: ma‧te
  • IPA(key): /ˈmate/, [ˈma.te]

NounEdit

mate (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜆᜒ)

  1. (chess) checkmate

TahitianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Polynesian *mate, from Proto-Oceanic *mate, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay, from Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay.

AdjectiveEdit

mate

  1. dead (no longer alive)

VerbEdit

mate

  1. to die

TetumEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *mate, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay, from Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay.

AdjectiveEdit

mate

  1. dead (no longer alive)

NounEdit

mate

  1. death

VerbEdit

mate

  1. to die

TokelauanEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /ˈma.te/
  • Hyphenation: ma‧te

Etymology 1Edit

From Proto-Polynesian *mate. Cognates include Hawaiian make and Samoan mate.

VerbEdit

mate (plural mamate)

  1. (intransitive) to die
  2. (stative) to be paralysed
  3. (intransitive, of fire) to go out
  4. (intransitive, of players) to go out
  5. (intransitive, of engines) to stop
Usage notesEdit
  • In the sense "to die", mate is normaly used to refer to plants and animals.
  • When used to refer to a human, mate may be perceived as either disrespectful or humorous.

Etymology 2Edit

From Proto-Polynesian *mate. Cognates include Tongan mate and Samoan mate.

NounEdit

mate

  1. guess

VerbEdit

mate

  1. (transitive) to guess
Derived termsEdit

Etymology 3Edit

NounEdit

mate

  1. (to a male) sororal nephew

ReferencesEdit

  • R. Simona, editor (1986) Tokelau Dictionary‎[1], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 229

TonganEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Polynesian *mate.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

mate

  1. death
  2. the dead

AdjectiveEdit

mate

  1. dead

UneapaEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Oceanic *mate, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay, from Proto-Austronesian *aCay.

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

mate

  1. to die

Further readingEdit

  • Ross, Malcolm D. (2016), Andrew Pawley, editor, The lexicon of Proto-Oceanic: Volume 5, People: body and mind, Canberra: Australian National University, →ISBN, →OCLC; republished as Meredith Osmond, editor,, (please provide a date or year)
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