What does messmate mean?
A messmate is someone who shares meals with another person, particularly a fellow sailor, servicemember, student, or resident of a communal household. The word suggests a relationship based on everyday companionship rather than necessarily close friendship, though sharing meals regularly can lead to familiarity and trust. “Mess” originally referred to the people eating together or to the arrangement by which they ate, and the compound “messmate” became especially associated with shipboard and military life. Today, the term is still common in nautical and service settings but also has a broader domestic use for housemates or colleagues who eat together. Compared with the general term “companion,” “messmate” gives more specific emphasis to the repeated social ritual of sharing meals. It is therefore a useful word for describing both the people involved in communal dining and the personal relationships that can develop through that daily contact.
nounA person who shares meals with another, especially a companion aboard a ship or in another communal accommodation. The term can also refer broadly to someone who eats in the same mess.
- A person who shares meals with another, especially aboard a ship or in a military or communal residential setting.
"He became close friends with his messmate during their years at sea."
"The two messmates divided the chores between them during the voyage."
"As college students, they were roommates, study partners, and messmates."
The plural is “messmates.”
"The messmates shared letters and photographs from home."
A messmate is more than a dining companion: the word captures the familiarity that can develop between people who regularly share a table.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does messmate come from?
“Messmate” is a compound of “mess” and “mate.” The word “mess” was borrowed into English from Old French mes, meaning food or a meal, ultimately from Latin mensa, “table”; it later acquired the sense of a group eating together, especially aboard a ship. The second element, “mate,” has long been used for a companion or crew member, and nautical usage helped establish the compound for a person sharing a ship's mess.
How messmate is actually used
Neutral in tone but strongly associated with naval, military, and communal-living contexts. In modern usage it may also describe people who regularly eat together, such as flatmates or students.