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Mating

 - 9 dictionary results

mate

1  [meyt] noun, verb, mat⋅ed, mat⋅ing.
Use Mating in a Sentence
–noun
1. husband or wife; spouse.
2. one member of a pair of mated animals.
3. one of a pair: I can't find the mate to this glove.
4. a counterpart.
5. an associate; fellow worker; comrade; partner (often used in combination): classmate; roommate.
6. friend; buddy; pal (often used as an informal term of address): Let me give you a hand with that, mate.
7. Nautical.
a. first mate.
b. any of a number of officers of varying degrees of rank subordinate to the master of a merchant ship.
c. an assistant to a warrant officer or other functionary on a ship.
8. an aide or helper, as to an artisan; factotum.
9. a gear, rack, or worm engaging with another gear or worm.
10. Archaic. an equal in reputation; peer; match.
–verb (used with object)
11. to join as a mate or as mates.
12. to bring (animals) together for breeding purposes.
13. to match or marry.
14. to join, fit, or associate suitably: to mate thought with daring action.
15. to connect or link: a telephone system mated to a computerized information service.
16. to treat as comparable.
–verb (used without object)
17. to associate as a mate or as mates.
18. (of animals) to copulate.
19. (of animals) to pair for the purpose of breeding.
20. to marry.
21. (of a gear, rack, or worm) to engage with another gear or worm; mesh.
22. Archaic. to consort; keep company.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < MLG; r. ME mette, OE gemetta messmate, guest. See meat

Related forms:
mateless, adjective

mate

2  [meyt] noun, verb (used with object), mat⋅ed, mat⋅ing, interjection Chess.
checkmate (defs. 1, 3, 5).
Origin:
1175–1225; ME mat defeated (adj.), defeat (n.) < OF ≪ Pers; see checkmate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Mating
mate 1   (māt)   
n.  

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

  2. A spouse.

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

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

    3. A person with whom one is in close association; an associate.

    4. Chiefly British A good friend or companion.

    5. A person with whom one shares living quarters. Often used in combination: advertised for a new flatmate.

    1. A person with whom one is in close association; an associate.

    2. Chiefly British A good friend or companion.

    3. 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 U.S. Navy petty officer who is an assistant to a warrant officer.

v.   mat·ed, mat·ing, mates

v.   tr.

  1. To join closely; pair.

  2. To unite in marriage.

  3. To pair (animals) for breeding.

v.   intr.

  1. To become joined in marriage.

    1. To be paired for reproducing; breed.

    2. To copulate.


[Middle English, from Middle Low German gemate, mate, messmate.]
mate 2   (māt)   
n.  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.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

mate  (n.)
"companion, associate, fellow, comrade," c.1380, from M.L.G. mate, gemate "one eating at the same table, messmate," from P.Gmc. *ga-maton "having food (*matiz) together (*ga-)," which is etymologically identical with companion (q.v.). Meaning "one of a wedded pair" is attested from 1549. Used as a form of address by sailors, laborers, etc., since at least 1450. Meaning "officer on a merchant vessel is from 1496. The verb, of animals, "to pair for the purpose of breeding" is first recorded 1601. The verb in chess (c.1320) is short for checkmate (q.v.) and is not related.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: mate
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: mated; mat·ing
transitive senses
: to pair or join for breeding mateintransitive senses
: COPULATE

Main Entry: mat·ing
Pronunciation: 'mAt-i[ng]
Function: noun
1 : the act of pairing or matching especially sexually
2 : the period during which a seasonal-breeding animal is capable of mating
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

mate 1 (māt)
n.

  1. A spouse.

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

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

v. mat·ed, mat·ing, mates

  1. To become joined in marriage.

  2. To be paired for reproducing; breed.

  3. To copulate.

mating mat·ing (mā'tĭng)
n.
The pairing of a male and a female for the purpose of reproduction.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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