Mate (colloquialism)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mate is a colloquialism meaning "friend" commonly used in British English,[1] Irish English, Australian English,[2] and New Zealand English.[3]
[edit] Early use
The first documented use of "mate" appears in a Middle English manuscript named Sir Ferumbras dating to around 1380:[4]
- Maumecet, my mate, y-blessed mot þou be[5]
In Modern English this reads:
- "Maumecet, my mate, may you be blessed"
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Brenner, Gail Abel (2003). Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook. John Wiley & Sons. p. 450. ISBN 978-0764524776
- ^ Wierzbicka, Anna (1997). Understanding Cultures Through Their Key Words: English, Russian, Polish, German, and Japanese. Oxford University Press. p. 200. ISBN 978-0195088366
- ^ Rewi, Adrienne. (2012). Frommer's New Zealand. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1118086018
- ^ "mate, n.2," Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press.
- ^ Kurath, Hans; Lewis, Robert E. (1975). Middle English Dictionary. The University of Michigan Press. p. 211. ISBN 978-0472011322
