NYT Dictionary

MATE

[meɪt]

NounVerbMAHTAYGrade 9

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

Meaning

A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Germanic *ga- Proto-Indo-European *meh₂d-der. Proto-Germanic *matiz Proto-Germanic *matjô Proto-West Germanic *gamatjôder. Old Saxon gimatoder. Middle Low German matebor. Middle English mate English mate 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. Compare typologically Latin compāniō (whence companion) (< con- + panis + -ō), Russian однока́шник (odnokášnik) (< одно- (odno-) + ка́ша (káša) + -ник (-nik)).

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

fellowferefriendbuddybabberbillybredrinbruvbudbuddo

Antonyms

demate

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 19 recorded puzzles:

+7 earlier appearances in the archive.