mate
1 (māt)
[Middle English, from Middle Low German gemate, mate, messmate.]
noun
- One of a matched pair: the mate to this glove.
- A spouse.
- Either of a pair of animals or birds that associate in order to propagate.
- Either of a pair of animals brought together for breeding.
- A person with whom one is in close association; an associate.
- Chiefly British A good friend or companion.
- 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.
verb: mat·ed, mat·ing, mates.
transitive verb
- To join closely; pair.
- To unite in marriage.
- To pair (animals) for breeding.
intransitive verb
- To become joined in marriage.
- To be paired for reproducing; breed.
- To copulate.
mate
2 (māt)
[Middle English, from Old French mat, checkmated, from Arabic māt, he has died; see checkmate.]
noun
- A checkmate.
tr. & intr.v.: mat·ed, mat·ing, mates.
- To checkmate or achieve a checkmate.
ma·té
(mä́tā, mä-tĕ́)
[American Spanish, from Quechua mate, hollow gourd used as a bowl or container for brewing yerba maté.]
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
