Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

roommate

/ˈɹu(m)ˌmeɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.81 in modern English

Syllables
room-mate
IPA
/ˈɹu(m)ˌmeɪt/
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A person with whom one shares a room, as in a dormitory, barracks, rooming house, or apartment.

noun

A person sharing the same home albeit not the same room (but generally not a family member or spouse).

Australian usage; Canadian usage; New Zealand usage; American usage

noun

A same-sex significant other with whom one lives; a coinhabitant in a non-heterosexual relationship.

Humorous

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *Hrew-? Proto-Indo-European *(H)rewH-der. Proto-Germanic *rūmą Proto-West Germanic *rūm Old English rūm Middle English roum English room Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Germanic *ga- Proto-Indo-European *meh₂d-der. Proto-Germanic *matiz Proto-Germanic *matjô Proto-West Germanic *gamatjôder. Old Saxon gimatoder. Middle Low German matebor. Middle English mate English mate English -mate English roommate From room + -mate.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɹu(m)ˌmeɪt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

roommates (plural)

Derived Forms

roommatehood roommateless roommately roommateness roommateship

Phrases

room and board rooming house

Frequently Paired Words

room and board roomer rooming house boarder comrade housemate

Synonyms

chambermate roomie sharemate roomy

Rhymes With

shumate

Questions

How do you pronounce roommate?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹu(m)ˌmeɪt/.
What does roommate mean?
A person with whom one shares a room, as in a dormitory, barracks, rooming house, or apartment.
Where does roommate come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *Hrew-? Proto-Indo-European *(H)rewH-der. Proto-Germanic *rūmą Proto-West Germanic *rūm Old English rūm Middle English roum English room Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Germanic *ga- Proto-Indo-European *meh₂d-der. Proto-Germanic *matiz Proto-Germanic *matjô Proto-West Germanic *gamatjôder. Old Saxon gimatoder. Middle Low German matebor. Middle English mate English mate English -mate English roommate From room + -mate.

How to pronounce roommate

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “roommate”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɹu(m)ˌmeɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “roommate”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “roommate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.