mate
Forms
- Plural
- mates
- present (v1)
- mate
- past (v2)
- mated
- past participle (v3)
- mated
- present participle
- mating
- 3rd person singular
- mates
Definitions
1.A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate.
- 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.A breeding partner.
3.A friend, usually of the same sex.(colloquial)
- I'm going to the pub with a few mates.
4.Friendly term of address to a stranger, usually male, of similar age.(colloquial)
- Excuse me, mate, have you got the time?
1.To match, fit together without space between.
- The pieces of the puzzle mate perfectly.
2.To pair in order to raise offspring.
3.To arrange in matched pairs.
4.To introduce (animals) together for the purpose of breeding.
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #3702
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Uncommon
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Word family
Etymology
From Middle English mate, a borrowing from Middle Low German mate (“messmate”) (replacing Middle English mett, mette (“table companion, mate, partner”), from Old English ġemetta (“sharer of food, table-guest”)), from Old Saxon gimato, 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.