Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Sociable; friendly.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective colloquial having the relationship of friends or pals.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective UK Sociable or friendly.
  • noun informal Diminutive of mate, friend.
  • noun nautical, slang A fellow sailor; often used affectedly, especially as a pirate.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective (used colloquially) having the relationship of friends or pals

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From mate +‎ -y.

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Examples

Comments

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  • You can turn any love song into a sea chantey by substituting "matey" for "baby."

    September 2, 2009