English word origin

Etymology of maat

From Afrikaans maat (“mate, buddy”). Doublet of mate.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

mate; buddy

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Afrikaans maat (“mate, buddy”). Doublet of mate.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionmaataf
Doublet mentionmateen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "af",
        "3": "maat",
        "4": "",
        "5": "mate, buddy"
      },
      "expansion": "Afrikaans maat (“mate, buddy”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mate"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of mate"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "maat",
      "maat#Afrikaans"
    ],
    [
      "mate",
      "mate#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "mate; buddy"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "South-Africa",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "e07d46f991ff02a8eb6f5dee0ce5f4f21917050e622a234a9aebb34894b80fea",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4c954b4dd3d25bd2823ae680d817d4e6070f6caf557f501bbfb783d65c04a5ad",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 435661
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

The ancient Egyptian concept of justice, order, and harmony.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Learned borrowing from Egyptian mꜣꜥt (“truth, righteousness, justice”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Learned-borrowing mentionmꜣꜥtegy · truth, righteousness, justice

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "lbor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "egy",
        "3": "mꜣꜥt",
        "t": "truth, righteousness, justice"
      },
      "expansion": "Learned borrowing from Egyptian mꜣꜥt (“truth, righteousness, justice”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "mꜣꜥt",
      "mꜣꜥt#Egyptian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The ancient Egyptian concept of justice, order, and harmony."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "c656f712d667e1d4c59f208fbca2997e7755924cc641749135a102decc2452db",
      "rawRecordSha256": "db405b88fa038e8b03992786b850cc679108252c8dbddbca76371e2885815dbd",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 435662
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for maat →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bWFhdA