Wiktionary

mate

See also: Appendix:Variations of "mate"

English edit

Pronunciation edit

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

Etymology 1 edit

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.

Noun edit

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, British, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, 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, British, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, 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 terms edit
Translations edit
nautical: first mate — see first mate
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb edit

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, obsolete) 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 terms edit
Translations edit
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.

Etymology 2 edit

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

Noun edit

mate (plural mates)

  1. (chess) Clipping of checkmate.
Translations edit
checkmate — see checkmate

Verb edit

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

  1. (chess) Clipping of checkmate.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit

Etymology 3 edit

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

Verb edit

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

  1. (obsolete) To confuse; to confound.

Etymology 4 edit

See maté.

Noun edit

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

Anagrams edit

Asturian edit

Verb edit

mate

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

Cebuano edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Spanish mate.

Pronunciation edit

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

Noun edit

mate (Badlit spelling ᜋᜆᜒ)

  1. (chess) a checkmate

Verb edit

mate (Badlit spelling ᜋᜆᜒ)

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

Interjection edit

mate (Badlit spelling ᜋᜆᜒ)

  1. (chess) checkmate

Quotations edit

For quotations using this term, see Citations:mate.

Czech edit

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

mate

  1. third-person singular present of mást

Dutch edit

Etymology edit

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.

Pronunciation edit

  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: ma‧te

Noun edit

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 also edit

Verb edit

mate

  1. (dated or formal) singular past subjunctive of meten

Fijian edit

Etymology edit

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

Adjective edit

mate

  1. dead (no longer alive)

Noun edit

mate

  1. death

French edit

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

mate

  1. feminine singular of mat

Verb edit

mate

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

Anagrams edit

Galician edit

Etymology 1 edit

Borrowed from French mat, mate.

Adjective edit

mate m or f (plural mates)

  1. matte (not reflective of light)

Etymology 2 edit

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

Noun edit

mate m (plural mates)

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

Etymology 3 edit

Borrowed from Quechua mati.

Noun edit

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 terms edit

Etymology 4 edit

From matar (“kill”).

Noun edit

mate m (plural mates)

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

Verb edit

mate

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

Gothic edit

Romanization edit

matē

  1. Romanization of 𐌼𐌰𐍄𐌴

Italian edit

Pronunciation edit

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

Etymology 1 edit

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

Noun edit

mate m (plural mati)

  1. (obsolete) mother
    Synonym: madre

See also edit

Etymology 2 edit

Borrowed from Spanish mate, from Quechua mati (“gourd”).

Alternative forms edit

Noun edit

mate m (invariable)

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

Further reading edit

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

Anagrams edit

Japanese edit

Romanization edit

mate

  1. Rōmaji transcription of まて

Kapampangan edit

Etymology edit

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay (“die; dead; sick; tired (of)”), from Proto-Austronesian *ma-aCay (“die; dead; eclipse of sun or moon”), from Proto-Austronesian *aCay (“death”). Compare Ilocano matay, Tagalog matay, Bikol Central matay, Cebuano matay, Maranao matay, and Malay mati.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /məˈte/, [məˈtɛ]
  • Hyphenation: ma‧te

Adjective edit

mate

  1. dead

Verb edit

mate

  1. to die

Derived terms edit

Laboya edit

Verb edit

mate

  1. to die

Derived terms edit

References edit

  • 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

Lithuanian edit

Pronunciation edit

(locative singular)

  This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

(vocative singular)

  This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Noun edit

matè

  1. locative singular of mãtas (“measure”)

Noun edit

mãte

  1. vocative singular of mãtas (“measure”)

Luba-Kasai edit

Noun edit

mate

  1. saliva

Maori edit

Etymology edit

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

Noun edit

mate

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

Derived terms edit

Verb edit

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 reading edit

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

Mapudungun edit

Noun edit

mate (Raguileo spelling)

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

See also edit

References edit

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

Middle English edit

Etymology 1 edit

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

Alternative forms edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

mate (plural mates)

  1. mate (companion, comrade)
  2. mate (shipmate)
  3. (rare) person, human
Descendants edit
  • English: mate
  • Scots: mate
References edit

Etymology 2 edit

Interjection edit

mate

  1. Alternative form of mat (“checkmate”)

Noun edit

mate

  1. Alternative form of mat (“checkmate”)

Adjective edit

mate

  1. Alternative form of mat (“checkmate”)

Etymology 3 edit

Adjective edit

mate

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

Etymology 4 edit

Verb edit

mate

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

Etymology 5 edit

Verb edit

mate

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

Norwegian Bokmål edit

Etymology edit

From mat.

Verb edit

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

  1. to feed

Synonyms edit

Related terms edit

References edit

Pali edit

Alternative forms edit

Alternative forms

Adjective edit

mate

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

Noun edit

mate

  1. locative singular of mata (“opinion”)

Polish edit

 
Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Spanish mate, from Quechua mati.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

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 reading edit

  • mate in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese edit

Pronunciation edit

 

Etymology 1 edit

Borrowed from Spanish mate, from Quechua mati.

Noun edit

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 2 edit

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb edit

mate

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

Rapa Nui edit

Etymology edit

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

Adjective edit

mate

  1. dead (no longer alive)

Verb edit

mate

  1. to die

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Clipping of matematică.

Noun edit

mate f (uncountable)

  1. (colloquial) maths

Shona edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Bantu *màtáì.

Noun edit

maté class 6

  1. saliva (liquid secreted into the mouth)

Spanish edit

Pronunciation edit

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

Etymology 1 edit

Borrowed from French mat, mate.

Adjective edit

mate m or f (masculine and feminine plural mates)

  1. matte (not reflective of light)

Etymology 2 edit

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

Noun edit

mate m (plural mates)

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

Etymology 3 edit

 
Mate

Borrowed from Quechua mati.

Noun edit

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 terms edit
Descendants edit

Etymology 4 edit

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

Adjective edit

mate m or f (masculine and feminine plural mates)

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

Etymology 5 edit

Clipping of matemática.

Noun edit

mate f (plural mates)

  1. (colloquial) math / maths
    Synonym: mates

Etymology 6 edit

Deverbal from matar (“kill”).

Noun edit

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

Verb edit

mate

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

Further reading edit

  • “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

Swahili edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Bantu *màtáì.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

mate (ma class, plural only)

  1. saliva (liquid secreted into the mouth)

Tagalog edit

Etymology edit

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

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

mate (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜆᜒ) (chess)

  1. checkmate

See also edit

Further reading edit

Tahitian edit

Etymology edit

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

Adjective edit

mate

  1. dead (no longer alive)

Verb edit

mate

  1. to die

Tetum edit

Etymology edit

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

Adjective edit

mate

  1. dead (no longer alive)

Noun edit

mate

  1. death

Verb edit

mate

  1. to die

Further reading edit

  • Fransiskus Monteiro (1985) Kamus Tetun-Indonesia [Tetum-Indonesian Dictionary] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan

Tokelauan edit

Pronunciation edit

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

Etymology 1 edit

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

Verb edit

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 notes edit
  • 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 2 edit

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

Noun edit

mate

  1. guess

Verb edit

mate

  1. (transitive) to guess
Derived terms edit

Etymology 3 edit

Noun edit

mate

  1. (to a male) sororal nephew

References edit

  • R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎[2], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 229

Tongan edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Polynesian *mate.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

mate

  1. death
  2. the dead

Adjective edit

mate

  1. dead

Uneapa edit

Etymology edit

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

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

mate

  1. to die

Further reading edit

  • 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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