mate
The definition of a mate is a significant other or spouse, part of a matched pair or a friend or buddy.
(noun)- An example of a mate is a male duck who has formed a relationship with a female duck.
- An example of a mate is your husband or your wife.
- An example of a mate is one of a pair of socks.
- An example of a mate is a buddy with whom you enjoy doing things.
To mate is defined as to come together in marriage or to breed offspring.
(verb)- An example of mate is when dogs get together and produce puppies.
- An example of mate is when people get married.
- An example of mate is when you purposely select two dogs with good physical characteristics and breed them to produce desirable offspring.
See mate in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
- a companion, comrade, or fellow worker: often used in compounds [classmate]
- Brit., Informal a chum; buddy; pal: often used as a familiar form of address
- one of a pair, esp. of a matched pair
- a husband or wife; spouse
- the male or female of animals paired for propagation
- Archaic an equal; fit associate
- Naut.: in the U.S. Navy, mate is used in the designators of certain petty officers and ratings, as machinist's mate, boatswain's mate
- an officer of a merchant ship, ranking below the captain; specif., first mate
- an assistant
Origin: ME < MDu, a companion < gemate < Gmc *gamatan < *ga-, together (for IE base see com-) + *mad-, food, meat: hence, orig., one who share meals: cf. companion
- to join as a pair; couple
- to couple in marriage or sexual union
- to provide with a mate
intransitive verb
See mate in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
- One of a matched pair: the mate to this glove.
- A spouse.
- a. Either of a pair of animals or birds that associate in order to propagate.b. Either of a pair of animals brought together for breeding.
- a. A person with whom one is in close association; an associate.b. Chiefly British A good friend or companion.c. A person with whom one shares living quarters. Often used in combination: advertised for a new flatmate.
- A deck officer on a merchant ship ranking next below the master.
- A U.S. Navy petty officer who is an assistant to a warrant officer.
- To join closely; pair.
- To unite in marriage.
- To pair (animals) for breeding.
- To become joined in marriage.
- a. To be paired for reproducing; breed.b. To copulate.
Origin:
Origin: Middle English
Origin: , from Middle Low German gemate, mate, messmate
.noun
Origin:
Origin: Middle English
Origin: , from Old French mat, checkmated
Origin: , from Arabic māt, he has died; see checkmate
.noun
- A South American evergreen tree (Ilex paraguariensis) widely cultivated for its leaves, which are used to prepare a tealike beverage.
- A tealike beverage, popular in South America, made from the dried leaves of this plant. Also called Paraguay tea, yerba maté.
Origin:
Origin: American Spanish
Origin: , from Quechua mate, hollow gourd used as a bowl or container for brewing yerba maté
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