match

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A sporting contest between two people or teams.

   My local team are playing a match against their rivals today.

2. 2
   noun

   A short thin stick that produces a flame when struck.

   She lit the candle with a match.

3. 3
   verb

   To go well together or be equal in some way.

   That tie matches your jacket perfectly.

4. 4
   noun

   A thing that goes well with or resembles another.

   That scarf is a good match for your coat.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Match meaning ‘correspond’ comes from an Old English word for a mate or companion, probably related to Old English make; its ‘contest’ sense appeared in the early 16th century. The fire-lighting word has a separate origin: it first meant ‘candle wick’ and came through Old French meche, perhaps from Latin myxa ‘lamp spout, lamp wick’. The modern wooden match dates from the early 19th century.

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”).

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary