# maat
## English
### Etymology 1

From Afrikaans maat (“mate, buddy”). Doublet of mate.

#### Noun

maat (plural maats)
* (South Africa, slang) mate; buddy
** 2007, William Higham, The Hammarskjold Killing, page 226:A lot of my maats went west.

### Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from Egyptian mꜣꜥt (“truth, righteousness, justice”).

#### Noun

maat (uncountable)
* (philosophy, historical) The ancient Egyptian concept of justice, order, and harmony.

### Anagrams

* AAMT

## Afrikaans
### Etymology

From Dutch maat.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mɑːt/

### Noun

maat (plural maats or maters, diminutive maatjie)
* mate, buddy

#### Descendants

* → English: maat

## Dutch
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)
* IPA: /maːt/
* Hyphenation: maat
* Rhymes: -aːt

### Etymology 1

From older mate, from Middle Dutch mate, from Old Dutch *māta, from Proto-West Germanic *mātu, from Proto-Germanic *mētō.

#### Noun

maat f (plural maten, diminutive maatje n)
* measure, size
* (music) measure, bar
* (music) rhythm, beat

##### Usage notes

* The dative form mate persists in fixed expressions such as met mate and in welke mate, although the distinction between this dative and the identical old nominative has become muddled.

##### Alternative forms

* mate

##### Derived terms

* bovenmaats
* confectiemaat
* driekwartsmaat
* hemdsmaat
* kindermaat
* kledingmaat
* maatbeker
* maatgevend
* maatglas
* maatkostuum
* maatpak
* maatregel
* maatstaf
* maatwerk
* mateloos
* matig
* ondermaats
* schoenmaat
* tweekwartsmaat
* vierkwartsmaat

##### Related terms

* meten

##### Descendants

* Afrikaans: maat
* Berbice Creole Dutch: mete
* Negerhollands: maat, meet, maet
* → Indonesian: emat
* → Papiamentu: mat

### Etymology 2

From a borrowing of Middle Low German māt, māte, from Old Saxon *gimato, of West Germanic origin, from Proto-Germanic *gamatjô, itself from *ga- (“together”) + *matjô, from *matiz (“food”).
Cognate with Old High German gimazzo, English mate.

#### Noun

maat m (plural maten or maats, diminutive maatje n)
* mate, buddy
    Synonym: mattie
* (close) colleague, shipmate etc.
* low sailor rank
* (law, business) partner (in a business venture)
    Synonyms: vennoot, compagnon, partner

##### Derived terms

* koksmaat
* maatschap
* maatschappij
* ploegmaat
* scheepsmaat
* teammaat

##### Related terms

* mattie

##### Descendants

* Afrikaans: maat
** → English: maat
* Berbice Creole Dutch: mati
* Negerhollands: maat, maet
* Skepi Creole Dutch: matte
* → Polish: mat
* → Sranan Tongo: mati (via the diminutive)
** Aukan: mati
*** Ndyuka-Trio Pidgin: mati
** → Dutch: mattie
** → Kari'na: mati

### References

* ↑ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “mate”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
* ↑ James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Maat”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.

## Finnish
### Noun

maat
* nominative plural of maa

### Anagrams

* tama

## Mansaka
### Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(ma-)zaqat, compare Malay jahat.

### Adjective

maat
* bad

## Middle English
### Etymology 1
#### Noun

maat
* Alternative form of mat (“checkmate”)

#### Adjective

maat
* Alternative form of mat (“checkmate”)

### Etymology 2
#### Adjective

maat
* Alternative form of mat (“tired”)

### Etymology 3
#### Verb

maat
* Alternative form of maten (“to checkmate”)

## Tabasco Nahuatl
### Pronunciation

* This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

### Noun

maat
* water

## Volapük
### Noun

maat (nominative plural maats)
* (nautical) mast

#### Declension

$^1$ status as a case is disputed $^2$ in later, non-classical Volapük only