mate
Spanish, noun
mate is spelled M-A-T-E (4 letters) and appears 22 times per million words in written Spanish, the 3,683rd most frequent Spanish word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Mate is a Spanish masculine noun meaning “mate, checkmate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is also a first/third-person singular present subjunctive of matar. With an accent, maté is a different word: “first-person singular preterite indicative of matar”. The Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) defines it as “Infusión de yerba mate consumida como bebida estimulante. Tradicionalmente, se sirve en un pote hecho de…”.
What does mate mean in English?
adjective
- 1
femininemasculinematte (not reflective of light)
noun
- 1
masculinemate, checkmate
- 2
colloquialmasculinea hand gesture
Siempre me dan gracia sus mates.
- 3
colloquialmasculinea feint; something feigned; a simulation
- 4
colloquialmasculinea gesture that hints something
noun
- 1
masculinematé (the drink prepared from yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis))
- 2
masculinea hollow gourd or cup in which maté is traditionally served
- 3
masculineyerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis), a plant used to make maté
- 4
colloquialmasculinehead (top part of the body)
adjective
- 1
femininemasculinetan, tanned (skin colour)
noun
- 1
colloquialfemininemath / maths
noun
- 1
masculinedunk, slam dunk (the act of dunking: put the ball directly downward through the hoop while grabbing onto the rim with power)
verb
- 1
first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- 2
third-person singular imperative
verb
- 1
first-person singular preterite indicative of matar
Source: English Wiktionary, Spanish section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Spanish dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Infusión de yerba mate consumida como bebida estimulante. Tradicionalmente, se sirve en un pote hecho de calabaza seca y se bebe con una bombilla metálica. Es común en la gastronomía de Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay, Uruguay y Bolivia (Tarija). 2. Por extensión, bebida obtenida de remojar en agua cualquier hierba aromática. 3. Recipiente elaborado a partir de una calabaza, de asta, metal u otro material donde se toma la infusión. 4. (Lagenaria siceraria) Planta de la familia de las Cucurbitáceas, cuyas calabazas son usadas para crear vasos para tomar mate₁.
noun: 1. Jugada de ajedrez que coloca al rey de uno de los bandos en una posición indefendible al no poder evadir un jaque, finalizando así la partida.
adjective: 1. Que no tiene brillo.
noun: 1. Matemática.
The definition in the Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), in Spanish.
Source: Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of mate
- mates feminine masculine plural
Source: English Wiktionary and Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to mate
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is mate in Spanish?
mate appears 22 times per million words in written Spanish.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).