Word of the Week

Word of the Week (252): LINEMATE (*new CSW15*) (probability 9882), by David Sutton

CSW15 brings us three new mates to join an already impressive lineup of words for sharers and companions. A LINEMATE is a hockey player on the same line as another; a NESTMATE is a bird sharing the same nest as another; a CLUBMATE is a fellow member of a club.

Of the already existing -MATE words of this kind, most of, I imagine, will have at least a token familiarity with BEDMATE, BUNKMATE, CABINMATE, CELLMATE, CLASSMATE, CREWMATE, HELPMATE, HOUSEMATE, MESSMATE, PLAYMATE, SCHOOLMATE, SHIPMATE, SOULMATE,and WORKMATE. Maybe less familiar are COMATE and COPEMATE, both obsolete words for an accomplice, LABELMATE, a singer or musician who records for the same company as another, LITTERMATE, an animal from the same litter, SEATMATE, one with whom one shares a seat, TABLEMATE (a nice hook for TABLEMAT, and also takes a frontal S to make STABLEMATE) and YOKEMATE.