Skip to content

maté

mate (herbal drink)

noun ma-TEH Rare

Origin: From Spanish/Quechua 'mate', from Quechua 'mati' (gourd).

Usage Note

Maté (also spelled mate) is the South American caffeinated herbal infusion made from Ilex paraguariensis leaves, traditionally drunk from a gourd through a metal straw called a bombilla. It has grown popular in France as an energy drink alternative. French usage tends to keep the accent: maté.

Examples

"Il boit du maté tous les matins."

Natural Translation

He drinks mate every morning.

Explore French by topic