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Webster 1913 Edition

Match

Match

(măch)
,
Noun.
[OE.
macche
, F.
mèche
, F.
mèche
, fr. L.
myxa
a lamp nozzle, Gr.
μύξα
mucus, nostril, a lamp nozzle. Cf.
Mucus
.]
Anything used for catching and retaining or communicating fire, made of some substance which takes fire readily, or remains burning some time; esp., a small strip or splint of wood or cardboard dipped at one end in a substance which can be easily ignited by friction, as a preparation of phosphorus or chlorate of potassium.
Match tub
,
a tub with a perforated cover for holding slow matches for firing cannon, esp. on board ship. The tub contains a little water in the bottom, for extinguishing sparks from the lighted matches.
–
Quick match
,
threads of cotton or cotton wick soaked in a solution of gunpowder mixed with gum arabic and boiling water and afterwards strewed over with mealed powder. It burns at the rate of one yard in thirteen seconds, and is used as priming for heavy mortars, fireworks, etc.
–
Slow match
,
slightly twisted hempen rope soaked in a solution of limewater and saltpeter or washed in a lye of water and wood ashes. It burns at the rate of four or five inches an hour, and is used for firing cannon, fireworks, etc.

Match

,
Noun.
[OE.
macche
, AS.
gemaecca
; akin to
gemaca
, and to OS.
gimako
, OHG.
gimah
fitting, suitable, convenient, Icel.
mark
suitable,
maki
mate, Sw.
make
, Dan.
mage
; all from the root of E.
make
, v. See
Make
mate, and
Make
,
Verb.
, and cf.
Mate
an associate.]
1.
A person or thing equal or similar to another; one able to mate or cope with another; an equal; a mate.
Government . . . makes an innocent man, though of the lowest rank, a
match
for the mightiest of his fellow subjects.
Addison.
2.
A bringing together of two parties suited to one another, as for a union, a trial of skill or force, a contest, or the like
;
specifically:
(a)
A contest to try strength or skill, or to determine superiority; a sporting contest; an emulous struggle.
“Many a warlike match.”
Drayton.
A solemn
match
was made; he lost the prize.
Dryden.
(b)
A matrimonial union; a marriage.
3.
An agreement, compact, etc.
“Thy hand upon that match.”
Shak.
Love doth seldom suffer itself to be confined by other
matches
than those of its own making.
Boyle.
4.
A candidate for matrimony; one to be gained in marriage.
“She . . . was looked upon as the richest match of the West.”
Clarendon.
5.
Equality of conditions in contest or competition, or one who provides equal competition to another in a contest;
as, he had no
match
as a swordsman within the city
.
It were no
match
, your nail against his horn.
Shakespeare
6.
Suitable combination or bringing together; that which corresponds or harmonizes with something else;
as, the carpet and curtains are a
match
.
7.
(Founding)
A perforated board, block of plaster, hardened sand, etc., in which a pattern is partly imbedded when a mold is made, for giving shape to the surfaces of separation between the parts of the mold.
Match boarding
(Carp.)
,
boards fitted together with tongue and groove, or prepared to be so fitted; a surface composed of match boarding. See
matchboard
.
–
Match game
,
a game arranged as a test of superiority.
–
Match plane
(Carp.)
,
either of the two planes used to shape the edges of boards which are joined by grooving and tonguing.
–
Match plate
(Founding)
,
a board or plate on the opposite sides of which the halves of a pattern are fastened, to facilitate molding.
Knight.
–
Match wheel
(Mach.)
,
a cogwheel of suitable pitch to work with another wheel; specifically, one of a pair of cogwheels of equal size.

Match

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Matched
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Matching
.]
1.
To be a mate or match for; to be able to complete with; to rival successfully; to equal.
No settled senses of the world can
match

The pleasure of that madness.
Shakespeare
2.
To furnish with its match; to bring a match, or equal, against; to show an equal competitor to; to set something in competition with, or in opposition to, as equal.
No history or antiquity can
match
is policies and his conduct.
South.
3.
To oppose as equal; to contend successfully against.
Eternal might
To
match
with their inventions they presumed
So easy, and of his thunder made a scorn.
Milton.
4.
To make or procure the equal of, or that which is exactly similar to, or corresponds with;
as, to
match
a vase or a horse; to
match
cloth.
“Matching of patterns and colors.”
Swift.
5.
To make equal, proportionate, or suitable; to adapt, fit, or suit (one thing to another).
Let poets
match
their subject to their strength.
Roscommon.
6.
To marry; to give in marriage.
A senator of Rome survived,
Would not have
matched
his daughter with a king.
Addison.
7.
To fit together, or make suitable for fitting together; specifically, to furnish with a tongue and a groove, at the edges;
as, to
match
boards
.
Matching machine
,
a planing machine for forming a tongue or a groove on the edge of a board.

Match

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To be united in marriage; to mate.
I hold it a sin to
match
in my kindred.
Shakespeare
Let tigers
match
with hinds, and wolves with sheep.
Dryden.
2.
To be of equal, or similar, size, figure, color, or quality; to tally; to suit; to correspond;
as, these vases
match
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Match

MATCH

, n.
1.
Some very combustible substance used for catching fire from a spark, as hemp, flax, cotton, tow dipped in sulphur, or a species of dry wood,called vulgarly touch-wood.
2.
A rope or cord made of hempen tow, composed of three strands slightly twisted, and again covered with tow and boiled in the lees of old wine. This when lighted at one end, retains fire and burns slowly till consumed. It is used in firing artillery, &c.

MATCH

, n.
1.
A person who is equal to another in strength or other quality; one able to cope with another.
Government--makes an innocent man of the lowest ranks a match for the mightiest of his fellow subjects.
2.
One that suits or tallies with another; or any thing that equals another.
3.
Union by marriage.
Love doth seldom suffer itself to be confined by other matches than those of its own making.
In popular language, it is applied to the engagement of lovers before marriage.
4.
One to be married.
She inherited a fair fortune of her own--and was looked upon as the richest match in the west.

MATCH

,
Noun.
[Gr. a battle, a fight.] A context; competition for victory; or a union of parties for contest; as in games or sports.
A solemn match was made; he lost the prize.

MATCH

,
Verb.
T.
To equal.
No settled senses of the world can match
The pleasure of that madness.
1.
To show an equal.
No history or antiquity can match his policies and his conduct.
2.
To oppose as equal; to set against as equal in contest.
Eternal might
To match with their inventions they presumed.
So easy, and of his thunder made a scorn.
3.
To suit; to make equal; to proportion.
Let poets match their subject to their strength--
--To match patterns and colors.
4.
To marry; to give in marriage.
A senator of Rome, while Rome survived,
Would not have match'd his daughter with a king.
5.
To purify vessels by burning a match in them.

MATCH

,
Verb.
I.
To be united in marriage.
I hold it a sin to match in my kindred.
Let tigers match with hinds, and wolves with sheep.
1.
To suit; to correspond; to be of equal size,figure or quality; to tally. We say of a piece of cloth, it does not match with another.

Definition 2024

Match

Match

See also: match

German

Noun

Match n ‎(genitive Matchs or Matches, plural Matche)

  1. (sports) match

Declension

match

match

See also: Match

English

Noun

match ‎(plural matches)

  1. (sports) A competitive sporting event such as a boxing meet, a baseball game, or a cricket match.
    My local team are playing in a match against their arch-rivals today.
  2. Any contest or trial of strength or skill, or to determine superiority.
    • Drayton
      many a warlike match
    • Dryden
      A solemn match was made; he lost the prize.
  3. Someone with a measure of an attribute equaling or exceeding the object of comparison.
    He knew he had met his match.
    • Addison
      Government […] makes an innocent man, though of the lowest rank, a match for the mightiest of his fellow subjects.
  4. A marriage.
  5. A candidate for matrimony; one to be gained in marriage.
    • Clarendon
      She […] was looked upon as the richest match of the West.
  6. Suitability.
  7. Equivalence; a state of correspondence. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
  8. Equality of conditions in contest or competition.
    • Shakespeare
      It were no match, your nail against his horn.
  9. A pair of items or entities with mutually suitable characteristics.
    The carpet and curtains are a match.
  10. An agreement or compact.
    • Shakespeare
      Thy hand upon that match.
    • Boyle
      Love doth seldom suffer itself to be confined by other matches than those of its own making.
  11. (metalworking) 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.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

match ‎(third-person singular simple present matches, present participle matching, simple past and past participle matched)

  1. (intransitive) To agree, to be equal, to correspond to.
    Their interests didn't match, so it took a long time to agree what to do together.‎
    These two copies are supposed to be identical, but they don't match.‎
  2. (transitive) To agree, to be equal, to correspond to.
    His interests didn't match her interests.‎
    • 1915, Mrs. Belloc Lowndes, The Lodger, chapter II:
      There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.
    • 1927, F. E. Penny, chapter 4, in Pulling the Strings:
      Soon after the arrival of Mrs. Campbell, dinner was announced by Abboye. He came into the drawing room resplendent in his gold-and-white turban. […] His cummerbund matched the turban in gold lines.
  3. (transitive) To make a successful match or pairing.
    They found out about his color-blindness when he couldn't match socks properly.‎
    • 2013 June 1, “End of the peer show”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 71:
      Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.
  4. (transitive) To equal or exceed in achievement.
    She matched him at every turn: anything he could do, she could do as well or better.‎
  5. (obsolete) To unite in marriage, to mate.
  6. To fit together, or make suitable for fitting together; specifically, to furnish with a tongue and groove at the edges.
    to match boards‎
Derived terms
Translations
See also
A match.

Etymology 2

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”)

Noun

match ‎(plural matches)

  1. A device made of wood or paper, at 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.
Synonyms
Derived terms
See also
Translations

French

Etymology

From English match.

Pronunciation

Noun

match m ‎(plural matches or matchs)

  1. (sports) match

Usage notes

Sometimes translated as rencontre (sportive).

Derived terms

Italian

Etymology

Borrowing from English match.

Noun

match m ‎(invariable)

  1. match (sports event)
  2. horserace involving only two horses

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

match

  1. imperative of matche

Swedish

Noun

match c

  1. match

Declension

Inflection of match 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative match matchen matcher matcherna
Genitive matchs matchens matchers matchernas

Etymology

From Middle English matche, metche, macche, mecche, mache, meche, from Old English mæċċa, ġemæċċa, secondary forms of Old English maca, ġemaca ‎(“companion, mate, wife, one suited to another”), from Proto-Germanic *makkô, *gamakkô, *makô, *gamakô ‎(“an equal; comrade”), from Proto-Indo-European *mag- ‎(“to knead, work”). Cognate with Danish mage ‎(“mate”), Icelandic maki ‎(“spouse”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mætʃ/
  • Rhymes: -ætʃ

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