What it means
مته (matte) is the Persian word for a drill bit or, more broadly, a drill, the rotating tool used to bore holes into hard materials like wood, metal, stone, and concrete. The word refers both to the bit itself (the cutting insert) and, in everyday speech, to the whole drill tool. Its etymology is not fully documented: Wiktionary notes the origin is missing or incomplete, and it may be a very old Iranian word with connections to Central Kurdish mete, but no definitive Proto-Iranian reconstruction is confirmed. A common related phrase is دریل (deril), a loanword from English drill referring specifically to the electric power drill, while مته more often refers to the bit or the hand-operated boring action.
How to use it
- مته رو عوض کن، این یکی برای بتون نیست. (matte ro avaz kon, in yeki barâye beton nist.) “Change the drill bit, this one is not for concrete.”
- با مته سوراخ کوچیکی تو دیوار کردم. (bâ matte surâkh-e kuchiki tu divâr kardam.) “I drilled a small hole in the wall with the drill.”
- مته برقی تو انبار داریم. (matte-ye barqi tu anbâr dârim.) “We have an electric drill in the storeroom.”
- قطر مته باید با پیچ یکی باشه. (qotr-e matte bâyad bâ pich yeki bâshe.) “The diameter of the drill bit must match the screw.”
Cultural note
In Iranian construction and home repair culture, the electric drill became widespread from the 1970s onward as urbanization accelerated. Iranian apartment buildings, which are typically built from reinforced concrete, mean that any wall-mounting task requires a مته مخصوص بتون (matte-ye makhsus-e beton), a masonry drill bit. Hardware stores in Iranian bazaars stock a wide variety of drill bits by size, and knowing how to specify the right قطر (qotr, diameter) and جنس (jens, material type) for the bit is practical everyday knowledge.