How to pronounce mate

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What mate means

noun

Most people know mate in its everyday sense. Here's its other meaning.

A ship's officer who ranks just below the captain

In a sentence: The captain told the mate to check the ropes before the ship left the dock.

Where it comes from: It comes from an old Low German word for a table companion, someone you share your food with. It was probably a sailors' word at first.

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