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Mate vs Matey - What's the difference?

mate | matey |

As nouns the difference between mate and matey

is that mate is a fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate while matey is diminutive of lang=en, friend.

As a verb mate

is to match, fit together without space between.

As an adjective matey is

sociable or friendly.

mate

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl), from (etyl) ). More at (l), (l).

Noun

(en noun)
  • A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate.
  • (especially of a non-human animal) A breeding partner.
  • (colloquial, British, Australia, New Zealand) A friend, usually of the same sex.
    • I'm going to the pub with a few mates .
    He's my best mate .
  • (colloquial, British, Australia, New Zealand) a colloquial "sir"; an informal and friendly term of address to a stranger, usually male
    • Excuse me, mate , have you got the time?
  • (nautical) In naval ranks, a non-commissioned officer or his subordinate (e.g. (w, Boatswain's Mate), (w, Gunner's Mate), Sailmaker's Mate, etc).
  • (nautical) A ship's officer, subordinate to the master on a commercial ship.
  • (nautical) A first mate.
  • A technical assistant in certain trades (e.g. gasfitter's mate'', ''plumber's mate ); sometimes an apprentice.
  • The other member of a matched pair of objects.
    • ''I found one of the socks I wanted to wear, but I couldn't find its mate .
  • A suitable companion; a match; an equal.
  • * Milton
    • Ye knew me once no mate / For you; there sitting where you durst not soar.
    Synonyms
    (checksyns) * fellow * friend * buddy * sir * partner * See also
    Derived terms
    (Derived terms) * bedmate * bunkmate * cellmate * classmate * crewmate * flatmate * floormate * housemate * mateship * office mate * roommate * shipmate * teammate * tourmate * workmate

    Verb

  • To match, fit together without space between.
    • The pieces of the puzzle mate perfectly.
  • To copulate.
  • To pair in order to raise offspring
  • To arrange in matched pairs.
  • To introduce (animals) together for the purpose of breeding.
  • To marry; to match (a person).
  • * Shakespeare
    • If she be mated with an equal husband.
  • To match oneself against; to oppose as equal; to compete with.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • There is no passion in the mind of man so weak but it mates and masters the fear of death.
  • * Shakespeare
    • I, / Dare mate a sounder man than Surrey can be.
  • To fit (objects) together without space between.
  • (aerospace) To move (a space shuttle orbiter) onto the back of an aircraft that can carry it.
    • Synonyms
    (checksyns) * couple * match * pair
    Antonyms
    * (aerospace) demate
    Derived terms
    * mating

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) verb maten, (etyl) mater, from (etyl) noun .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (chess) Short for checkmate.

    • Verb

  • To win a game of chess by putting the opponent in checkmate
  • To confuse; to confound.
    • (Shakespeare)

    Etymology 3

    See

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • ).
  • The abovementioned plant; the leaves and shoots used for the tea

    • Anagrams

    * * * * ----

    matey

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (UK) Sociable or friendly.
    • You've been very matey with that new bird.
  • * 1948 , Dennis Wheatley, , 2007, page 148,
    • She asked in what sort of accident I had broken my back, and when I told her that I had been shot down she became much more matey .
  • * 1995 , Gwynneth Latham, Michael C. Latham, Kilimanjaro Tales: The Saga of a Medical Family in Africa , page 140,
    • We decided that it would be more matey to have communal meals, so all the guests and hosts foregathered at the hotel for lunches and dinners, and at every sitting there were about 40 of us, all in high spirits.
  • * 2002 , Jon Latimer, Alamein , page 128,
    • he[] wrote: ‘They[the Australians] took a bit of getting used to. I was dressed as a general and they treated me in the most matey way, but despite this it was easy to see that there was nothing wrong with their battle discipline.’
  • * 2002 , Alan Di Perna, Guitar World, Guitar World Presents: Pink Floyd , page 29,
    • His opening salvo, “If you didn?t care what happened to me, and I didn?t care for you,” gives way to a more matey mood at the end: “You know that I care what happens to you. And I know that you care for me.”
  • * 2005 , , An Irish History of Civilization , Volume 2, page 293,
    • Adolphus Egerton Ryerson was his full name, but he insisted on being called Egerton Ryerson, under the mistaken conviction that this was much more matey than Adolphus.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (informal) , friend.
    • Hello, matey , just back from the pub?
  • * 1909 , National Magazine , Volume 30, page 171,
    • “No, no, matey', I means no harm. Ye see, I think I done ye a bad turn onst, an? I?m minded t? do ye right afore I goes off. You bring a writer here, ' matey , an? I?ll tell ye what.”
  • * 1920 , Francis Stevens (), Claimed , 2009, Munsey?s, page 49,
    • And take my advice, matey . When yer buys it, don?t yer make Lutz?s mistake and think yer can wriggle out easy.
  • * 1981 , , Writing My Life: An Autobiography , page 247,
    • “You've got great legs, matey ,” he said to me. “You know that?” They were good straight legs, and could run, but I had always thought them too much on the lean side.
  • (nautical, slang) A fellow sailor; often used affectedly, especially as a pirate .
    • Ahoy mateys , scrub the deck!
  • * (pseudonym), In Clive?s Command , 2006, Echo Library, page 35,
    • “Well, we are and we en?t, eh, mateys ? The Waterman?s Rest en?t exactly the kind of place to spend shore leave; it en?t a patch on Wapping or Rotherhithe.”
  • * 1979 , Larona Homer, Blackbeard the Pirate'', in ''Blackbeard the Pirate and Other Stories of the Pine Barrens , page 91,
    • “Well, Mateys ,” he said, “heave to. Rum for all.”
    The pirates grabbed their bottles, and as they drank they began to sing and laugh and shout at each other.
  • * 2003 , Paul Abbaszadeh, One Love: A True Love Story , page 318,
    • Soon the talking skull came into view and gave us a warning,
    “Avast there, it be to late to alter course mateys and there be plundering pirates lurking in every cove waiting to board.”
  • * 2010 , Molly Burkhart, My Gigolo , unnumbered page,
    • “Ahoy, mateys !” The chorus came from all sides, and he fought the urge to snicker.
    She nudged him with her elbow, and he looked down to find her eyes twinkling.
    “Hope you brushed up on your pirate lingo. The desk is over there. I gotta go use the little wench?s room.”
    He watched her go with a grin and nearly laughed again when he saw the signs on the bathroom doors. Wenches and Mateys . Good God.

    Anagrams

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