# matar
## Aragonese
### Etymology

Most likely from Latin mactāre (through a Vulgar Latin root *mattāre). Alternatively, possibly from Vulgar Latin *mattāre, from Late Latin mattus (“drunk, intoxicated”), related to madidus.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /maˈta(ɾ)/
* Rhymes: -a(ɾ)
* Syllabification: ma‧tar

### Verb

matar
* (transitive) to kill

### References

* Bal Palazios, Santiago (2002) “matar”, in Dizionario breu de a luenga aragonesa, Zaragoza, →ISBN

## Asturian
### Etymology

Most likely from Latin mactāre (through a Vulgar Latin root *mattāre). Alternatively, possibly from Vulgar Latin *mattāre, from Late Latin mattus (“drunk, intoxicated”), related to madidus.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /maˈtaɾ/ [maˈt̪aɾ]
* Rhymes: -aɾ
* Syllabification: ma‧tar

### Verb

matar (first-person singular indicative present mato, past participle matáu)
* to kill

#### Related terms

* matar

## Catalan
### Etymology

Most likely from Latin mactāre (through a Vulgar Latin root *mattāre). Alternatively, possibly from Vulgar Latin *mattāre, from Late Latin mattus (“drunk, intoxicated”), related to madidus.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [məˈta]
* IPA: (Valencia) [maˈtaɾ]
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -a(ɾ)

### Verb

matar (first-person singular present mato, first-person singular preterite matí, past participle matat)
* to kill
    Synonym: (formal) occir
* to extinguish
    Synonyms: extingir, apagar

#### Conjugation

The past participle can optionally be mort.

#### Derived terms

* matablat
* matabou
* matacabrit
* matador
* matadura
* matafred
* matagent
* matallops
* matament
* matamosques
* matança
* mataparent
* matapoll

### Further reading

* “matar” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “matar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “matar” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “matar” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Faroese
### Verb

matar
* second/third-person singular present of mata

## Galician
### Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese matar, most likely from Latin mactāre (through a Vulgar Latin root *mattāre). Alternatively, possibly from Vulgar Latin *mattāre, from Late Latin mattus (“drunk, intoxicated”), related to madidus.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /maˈtaɾ/ [maˈt̪aɾ]
* Rhymes: -aɾ
* Hyphenation: ma‧tar

### Verb

matar (first-person singular present mato, first-person singular preterite matei, past participle matado, short past participle morto)
* (transitive) to kill
* (pronominal) to accidentally kill oneself
* (pronominal) to commit suicide
    Synonym: suicidar
* (pronominal, figurative) to kill oneself (exert oneself)
    Non te mates a barrer as follas agora; esta noite vai ventar. ― Don't kill yourself raking the leaves now; we're due for a windstorm tonight.
* (transitive) to extinguish, turn off, quench
    Synonym: apagar

#### Conjugation

$^1$Usually used with auxiliary verbs ser and estar. $^2$Usually used with auxiliary verbs haber and ter.
$^1$Usually used with auxiliary verbs ser and estar. $^2$Usually used with auxiliary verbs haver and ter. $^3$Less recommended.

#### Related terms

* matachín
* matadoiro
* matador

### References

* Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “matar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “matar”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “matar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* “matar”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “matar”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* “matar” in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (2014).
* Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “matar”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

## Ladino
### Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish.

### Verb

matar
* to kill

## Old Galician-Portuguese
### Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *mattāre, from Latin mactāre.

### Verb

matar
* (transitive) to kill
* (transitive, figurative) to harm
* (pronominal) to commit suicide

#### Descendants

* Galician: matar
* Portuguese: matar

### Further reading

* Manuel Ferreiro (2014–2025) “matar”, in Universo Cantigas. Edición crítica da poesía medieval galego-portuguesa (in Galician), A Coruña: University of A Coruña, →ISSN

## Portuguese
### Alternative forms

* mattar (obsolete)
* matá (eye dialect, Brazil)

### Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese matar, probably from Latin mactāre (through Vulgar Latin *mattāre). The development of -ct- would be irregular, however. Hence possibly derived from or influenced by Late Latin mattus (“drunk, intoxicated”), related to madidus. Another possibility is an influence by Arabic مَاتَ (māta, “to die”).
The short past participle is derived from Latin morīre, an unrelated verb that means "to die."

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /maˈta(ʁ)/ [maˈta(h)]
* (Brazil) IPA: /maˈta(ʁ)/ [maˈta(h)]
** (São Paulo) IPA: /maˈta(ɾ)/
** (Rio de Janeiro) IPA: /maˈta(ʁ)/ [maˈta(χ)]
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /maˈta(ɻ)/
* (Portugal) IPA: /mɐˈtaɾ/
* (Portugal) IPA: /mɐˈtaɾ/
** (Southern Portugal) IPA: /mɐˈta.ɾi/
* Hyphenation: ma‧tar

### Verb

matar (first-person singular present mato, first-person singular preterite matei, past participle matado, short past participle morto)
* (transitive) to kill (to cause to die)
    Synonym: assassinar
    Mataram-no a tiros! ― They shot him dead! (literally, “[They] killed him with gunshots!”)
    A geada matará a plantação. ― The frost will kill the crop.
** 1890, Aluísio Azevedo, O Cortiço, Rio de Janeiro: B. L. Garnier:Além disso, como?... Sim, como poderia despachá-la, sem deixar sinais comprometedores do crime?... Envenenando-a?... Dariam logo pela coisa! Matá-la a tiro?... Pior!(please add an English translation of this quotation)
** 2005, Bill Diffenderffer, O Líder Samurai, Elsevier Brasil, →ISBN, page 22:No entanto, ao saber que a mulher que estava no palanquim era a esposa de um nobre, o Senhor Nagato ordenou seu servidor que praticasse o seppuku (hara-kiri, ou seja, matar a si próprio enfiando uma faca no abdômen).(please add an English translation of this quotation)
* (figurative, transitive) to kill; to eradicate; to destroy
    Synonyms: erradicar, destruir, acabar com
    Matou-lhe as esperanças ― He killed his hopes.
* (figurative, informal, transitive) to kill (to cause extreme pain, distress or exhaustion in)
    Synonyms: acabar com, detonar, quebrar, arrebentar
    Minhas pernas estão me matando ― My legs are killing me!
    Essas palavras matam! ― These words kill!
* (transitive) to kill (to write a story that conveys the death of)
    Hobbes matara o positivismo acerca da revolução. ― Hobbes had killed the positivism surrounding the revolution.
* (figurative, transitive) to satisfy, to satiate, to quench (to fulfil an emotional or physiological need)
    Synonyms: saciar, satisfazer
    Antes de matar meu desejo de caminhar, preciso matar minha sede. ― Before I satisfy my desire to walk, I need to quench my thirst.
* (reflexive) to commit suicide
    Synonym: suicidar
    Ela matou-se com a faca. ― She killed herself with the knife.
* (figurative, reflexive) to break one's back (to make a great effort)
    Synonym: arrebentar-se
    O homem se matava para sustentar a família. ― The man broke his back providing for his family.
* (colloquial, transitive) to spend [a period of time] doing unimportant things
    Synonym: passar
    A escola ficou fechada hoje; tive o dia inteiro para matar. ― School was closed today; I had the entire day to goof around.
* (Brazil, slang, transitive) to skip (not to be present in a class)
    Synonym: faltar
    Os alunos mataram a aula de geografia. ― The students skipped geography class.
* (informal, transitive) to solve (to find the solution to a mystery)
    Synonyms: resolver, solucionar
    Finalmente matei a charada. ― I have finally solved the riddle.
* (Brazil, slang, transitive) to consume something entirely (especially an alcoholic drink); to knock down
    Matamos uns cascos para relaxar. ― We knocked down a few forties to relax.
* (sports, transitive) to stop a moving ball
    Synonym: parar
    Passei de longe para o atacante, que matou a bola no peito. ― I passed the ball to the striker from a distance; he then stopped it with his chest.
* (cue sports, transitive) to pocket (to cause a ball to go into one of the pockets of the table)
    Synonym: encaçapar
    Ela sempre mata duas ou três bolas na primeira tacada. ― She always pockets two or three balls with the first strike.

#### Conjugation

$^1$Usually used with auxiliary verbs ser and estar. $^2$Usually used with auxiliary verbs haver and ter. $^3$Brazilian Portuguese. $^4$European Portuguese.
$^1$Brazilian Portuguese. $^2$European Portuguese.

#### Derived terms

* matador
* matadouro / matadoiro
* matança

### References

* ↑ Antenor Nascentes (1955) “matar”, in Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa [Portuguese language etymological dictionary] (in Portuguese), 2nd edition, volume I, Rio de Janeiro: Livraria Acadêmica, page 321, column 1

### Further reading

* “matar”, in iDicionário Aulete (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
* “matar”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2025
* “matar” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
* “matar”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
* “matar”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
* “matar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

## Serbo-Croatian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mâtar/
* Hyphenation: ma‧tar

### Noun

mȁtar m (Cyrillic spelling ма̏тар)
* Alternative form of mȍtar (“sea fennel”)

#### Declension
## Spanish
### Alternative forms

* amatar (obsolete)

### Etymology

Several possibilities:
* From Latin mactāre (through a Vulgar Latin *mattāre). Thus, a potential cognate with English mactate.
* From Vulgar Latin *mattāre, from Late Latin mattus (“drunk, intoxicated”), related to madidus. Compare Portuguese and Catalan matar, archaic Italian mattare.
* From Spanish mazar, in turn from maza (“mace, club”); compare Italian ammazzare (“to kill”).
* From Arabic مَاتَ (māta, “to die”), compare Persian مات (mât), the probable source of the second part of English checkmate.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /maˈtaɾ/ [maˈt̪aɾ]
* Audio (Spain):(file)
* Rhymes: -aɾ
* Syllabification: ma‧tar

### Verb

matar (first-person singular present mato, first-person singular preterite maté, past participle matado)
* to kill, slay
* to put out, extinguish (a flame or light)
    Synonyms: extinguir, apagar
* to butcher
* to injure, damage
    Synonyms: dañar, enfermar
* to fatigue, exhaust, tire out
    Synonyms: fatigar, cansar
* to dull (render dim or obscure; to sully; to tarnish)
    Synonyms: apagar, deslustrar, opacar
* to round off
* to ruin
    Synonym: arruinar
* (colloquial) to kill (to annoy)
    Synonyms: incomodar, molestar
* (colloquial) to kill (to get mad at)
* (colloquial) to kill (to amaze, exceed, stun)
    Synonyms: sorprender, asombrar
* (colloquial) to beat (to be better than)
* to postmark
    Synonym: matasellar
* (reflexive) to kill oneself, to commit suicide
* (reflexive) to be killed, to meet one’s death
* (reflexive) to become galled, to become chafed, to get sores (said of horses)
* (reflexive) to wear oneself out

#### Conjugation

$^1$Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language. $^2$Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.
These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

#### Derived terms

* a matar
* aquí te pillo, aquí te mato
* cada quien tiene su manera de matar pulgas
* la curiosidad mató al gato
* lo que no mata, engorda
* matabichos
* mataburros
* matacandelas
* matacucarachas
* matadero
* matado
* matador
* matadura
* matahombres
* matahormigas
* Matajudíos
* Matamoros
* matamoros
* matamoscas
* matanza
* mataojos
* matapolicías
* matar al mensajero
* matar de hambre
* matar dos pájaros de un tiro
* matar el hambre
* matar el polvo
* matar la sed
* matarratas
* matarratones
* matasanos
* matasellos
* matasuegras
* matavenados
* mataviejos
* mató tunco tu tata
* matón
* pan mataniños
* por un perro que maté, mataperros me llamaron
* que me maten
* quien a hierro mata, a hierro muere
* rematar
* si la mirada matara
* suerte de matar
* tanto peca el que mata a la vaca como el que le agarra la pata

#### Related terms

* matarife
* matarse

### References

* ↑ Posner, ‘The Romance Languages’, p. 321.
* ↑ Edward A. Roberts.
* ↑ Posner, ‘The Romance Languages’, p. 321. Edward A. Roberts.

### Further reading

* “matar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Swedish
### Verb

matar
* present indicative of mata

### Anagrams

* Marta, ramat