helpmate

A folk-etymological alteration of helpmeet, by reanalysis as help + mate.

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helpmate (plural helpmates)

1. A person who supplies help or companionship.

   Synonyms: aide, helper, tutor

2. A wife or spouse.

   Synonyms: helpmeet; see also Thesaurus:spouse

   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 191:

     The host himself was one of those very quiet men whom we usually see linked to the most active helpmates.

3. (chess) A recreational problem in chess in which both sides cooperate to achieve a specific goal.