What does “mon pote” mean in French?

Un pote is a buddy, the everyday casual word for a friend. C’est mon pote is “he’s my mate,” and mon pote on its own is a friendly “man” or “pal.” The word is most likely a shortened poteau, “post” or “pole,” recorded in Paris slang around 1898. The usual explanation is that a friend holds you up like a post.

Pote is gender-neutral (c’est ma pote), and the trendier spelling poto has come back through rap and social media. It’s warmer than copain and much less formal than ami. In the dubbed Wolf of Wall Street scene, after everyone fails to sell the pen, the closing lesson lands with l’offre et la demande, mon pote, “supply and demand, buddy.”