mate

Meanings

Noun

• A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate.
• A breeding partner.
• A friend, usually of the same sex.
• In naval ranks, a non-commissioned officer or his subordinate (e.g. Boatswain's Mate, Gunner's Mate, Sailmaker's Mate, etc).
• A ship's officer, subordinate to the master on a commercial ship.
• A first mate.
• A technical assistant in certain trades (e.g. gasfitter's mate, plumber's mate); sometimes an apprentice.
• The other member of a matched pair of objects.
• A suitable companion; a match; an equal.
• Alternate spelling of maté, an aromatic tea-like drink prepared from the holly yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis).
• The abovementioned plant; the leaves and shoots used for the tea

Verb

• To match, fit together without space between.
• To copulate.
• To pair in order to raise offspring.
• To arrange in matched pairs.
• To introduce (animals) together for the purpose of breeding.
• To copulate with.
• To marry; to match (a person).
• To match oneself against; to oppose as equal; to compete with.
• To fit (objects) together without space between.
• To move (a space shuttle orbiter) onto the back of an aircraft that can carry it.
• To confuse; to confound.

Origin

• From Middle English mate, a borrowing from Middle Low German mate (replacing Middle English mette, from Old English ġemetta), derived from Proto-Germanic *gamatjô, itself from *ga- (related to German and Dutch ge-) + *matjô (from *matiz), related to Old English mete). From the same Middle Low German source stems German Maat. Cognates include Saterland Frisian Moat, Dutch maat. More at Old English ġe-, English co-, English meat. maat.
• From Middle English verb maten, from Middle French mater, from Old French noun mat, from Persian شاه مات.
• From Middle English maten, from Old French mater, from Vulgar Latin *mattō, of unclear origin.
• See maté.