Male supports mate, giving hand (4)
I believe the answer is:
palm
'hand' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'male supports mate' is the wordplay.
'male' becomes 'm' (common abbreviation).
'supports' means one lot of letters go next to another (bottom letters provide a support for the top ones).
'mate' becomes 'pal' (I've seen this before).
'm' after 'pal' is 'PALM'.
'giving' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for palm that I've seen before include "Tropical tree; conceal" , "Underside of hand" , "Tree symbolising victory" , "Coconut-bearing tree" , "Date-tree" .)