mate

(noun) the officer below the master on a commercial ship. Synonyms: first mate.

(noun) a fellow member of a team. Synonyms: teammate. Example: "It was his first start against his former teammates."

(noun) the partner of an animal (especially a sexual partner). Examples: "He loved the mare and all her mates." "Camels hate leaving their mates."

(noun) a person's partner in marriage. Synonyms: spouse, partner, married person, better half.

(noun) an exact duplicate. Synonyms: match. Example: "When a match is found an entry is made in the notebook."

(noun) one of a pair. Synonyms: fellow. Examples: "He lost the mate to his shoe." "One eye was blue but its fellow was brown."

(noun) South American holly; leaves used in making a drink like tea. Synonyms: Paraguay tea, Ilex paraguariensis.

(noun) informal term for a friend of the same sex.

(noun) South American tea-like drink made from leaves of a South American holly called mate.

(noun) a chess move constituting an inescapable and indefensible attack on the opponent's king. Synonyms: checkmate.

(verb) engage in sexual intercourse. Synonyms: copulate, pair, couple. Example: "Birds mate in the spring."

(verb) bring two objects, ideas, or people together. Synonyms: match, couple, pair, twin. Examples: "This fact is coupled to the other one." "Matchmaker, can you match my daughter with a nice young man?." "The student was paired with a partner for collaboration on the project."

(verb) place an opponent's king under an attack from which it cannot escape and thus ending the game. Synonyms: checkmate. Example: "Kasparov checkmated his opponent after only a few moves."