Match

//mæt͡ʃ// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A competitive sporting event such as a boxing meet (commonly called a "bout"), a baseball game, or a cricket match.

    "My local team are playing in a match against their arch-rivals today."

  2. 2
    A device made of wood or paper, having the tip coated with chemicals that ignite with the friction of being dragged (struck) against a rough dry surface.

    "He struck a match and lit his cigarette."

  3. 3
    lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction wordnet
  4. 4
    Any contest or trial of strength or skill, or to determine superiority.

    "Ferrer his Taberd vvith rich Verry ſpred, / VVell knovvne in many a vvarlike match before; […]"

  5. 5
    an exact duplicate wordnet
Show 16 more definitions
  1. 6
    Someone with a measure of an attribute equaling or exceeding the object of comparison.

    "He knew he had met his match."

  2. 7
    a burning piece of wood or cardboard wordnet
  3. 8
    A marriage.
  4. 9
    something that resembles or harmonizes with wordnet
  5. 10
    A candidate for matrimony; one to be gained in marriage.

    "She […] was looked upon as the richest match of the West."

  6. 11
    a formal contest in which two or more persons or teams compete wordnet
  7. 12
    Suitability.
  8. 13
    a pair of people who live together wordnet
  9. 14
    Equivalence; a state of correspondence.

    "The seat to window match is excellent and there are half-size partition screens between bays."

  10. 15
    a person who is of equal standing with another in a group wordnet
  11. 16
    Equality of conditions in contest or competition.

    "It were no match, your nail against his horn."

  12. 17
    a person regarded as a good matrimonial prospect wordnet
  13. 18
    A pair of items or entities with mutually suitable characteristics.

    "The carpet and curtains are a match."

  14. 19
    the score needed to win a match wordnet
  15. 20
    An agreement or compact.

    "Thy hand upon that match."

  16. 21
    A perforated board, block of plaster, hardened sand, etc., in which a pattern is partly embedded when a mould is made, for giving shape to the surfaces of separation between the parts of the mould.
Verb
  1. 1
    To agree; to be equal; to correspond. intransitive

    "Their interests didn't match, so it took a long time to agree what to do together."

  2. 2
    make equal, uniform, corresponding, or matching wordnet
  3. 3
    To agree with; to be equal to; to correspond to. transitive

    "His interests didn't match her interests."

  4. 4
    be equal or harmonize wordnet
  5. 5
    To equal or exceed in achievement. transitive

    "She matched him at every turn: anything he could do, she could do as well or better."

Show 11 more definitions
  1. 6
    make correspond or harmonize wordnet
  2. 7
    To make a successful match or pairing. transitive

    "They found out about his color-blindness when he couldn't match socks properly."

  3. 8
    set into opposition or rivalry wordnet
  4. 9
    To unite in marriage, to mate. obsolete

    "[…]Adam's sons are my brethren; and truly, I hold it a sin to match in my kindred."

  5. 10
    bring two objects, ideas, or people together wordnet
  6. 11
    To fit together, or make suitable for fitting together; specifically, to furnish with a tongue and groove at the edges.

    "to match boards"

  7. 12
    give or join in marriage wordnet
  8. 13
    To be an example of a rule or regex. transitive

    "The behavior matched one or more rules and was rejected by an edit filter."

  9. 14
    provide funds complementary to wordnet
  10. 15
    be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics wordnet
  11. 16
    be equal to in quality or ability wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English macche, mecche, from Old English mæċċa, ġemæċċa (“companion, mate, wife, one suited to another”), from Proto-West Germanic *makkjō, *gamakkjō (“partner, equal”), from Proto-Germanic *makô, from Proto-Indo-European *mag- (“to knead, work”). Compare Danish mage (“mate”), Icelandic maki (“spouse”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English macchen (“to marry; be paired with”), from the noun (see above).

Etymology 3

From Middle English macche, mecche (“wick (of a candle)”), from Old French mesche, meische, from Vulgar Latin micca (compare Catalan metxa, Spanish mecha, Italian miccia), which in turn is probably from Latin myxa (“nozzle, curved part of a lamp”), from Ancient Greek μύξα (múxa, “lamp wick”).

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