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mate¹

(māt)

1. One of a matched pair: the mate to this glove.

2. A spouse or romantic partner.

a. Either of a pair of birds or other animals that associate in order to propagate.

b. Either of a pair of animals brought together for breeding.

c. Either of a pair of plants, fungi, or other organisms that engage in sexual reproduction or conjugation with each other.

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.

5. A deck officer on a merchant ship ranking next below the master.

6. A US Navy petty officer who is an assistant to a warrant officer.

v. mat·ed, mat·ing, mates

v.tr.

1. To join closely or combine: an engine that is mated to a four-speed transmission.

2. To cause to be united in marriage or a romantic sexual relationship.

3. To cause (organisms) to breed or bring (organisms) into close proximity for breeding.

v.intr.

1. To become joined in marriage or a romantic sexual relationship.

a. To be paired for reproducing; breed.

b. To engage in sexual reproduction or conjugation.

[Middle English, from Middle Low German gemate, mate, messmate.]

mate²

(māt)

A checkmate.

tr. & intr.v. mat·ed, mat·ing, mates

To checkmate or achieve a checkmate.

[Middle English, from Old French mat, checkmated, from Arabic māt, he has died; see CHECKMATE.]

ma·te³

(mätā) also ma·té (mä-tĕ)

1. An evergreen shrub or small tree (Ilex paraguariensis) of South America, widely cultivated for its leaves, which are used to prepare a tealike beverage.

2. A tealike beverage, popular in South America, made from the dried leaves of this plant.Also called Paraguay tea, yerba mate.

3. An oval or rounded container or cup, traditionally made from a hollow calabash, in which this tea is prepared and served.

[American Spanish , from Quechua mati, calabash container.]

(click for a larger image)

mate³

bombilla (foreground) and mate cup(background)

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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