mate

mate · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
3. Proto-Germanic*ga-
4. Proto-Indo-European*meh₂d-
5. Proto-Germanic*matiz
6. Proto-Germanic*matjô
7. Proto-West Germanic*gamatjô
8. Old Saxongimato
9. Middle Low Germanmate
10. Middle Englishmate
11. English todaymate

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)).

mate · noun, verb²

1. Persian · derived fromشاه مات
2. Middle French · derived frommater
3. English todaymate

From Middle English verb maten, from Middle French mater, from Old French noun mat (“checkmate”), from Persian شاه مات (šâh mât).

mate · verb³

1. Vulgar Latin · derived from*mattō
2. Old French · derived frommater“to kill”
3. Middle English · inherited frommaten“to overpower”
4. English todaymate

From Middle English maten (“to overpower”), from Old French mater (“to kill”), from Vulgar Latin *mattō, of unclear origin.

mate · noun⁴

See maté.