something that constitutes the place or point from which something else originates, takes form, or develops: The Greco-Roman world was the matrix for Western civilization.
Anatomy. a formative part, as the corium beneath a nail.
Biology.
the intercellular substance of a tissue.
ground substance.
Petrology. the fine-grained portion of a rock in which coarser crystals or rock fragments are embedded.
fine material, as cement, in which lumps of coarser material, as of an aggregate, are embedded.
Mining. gangue.
Metallurgy. a crystalline phase in an alloy in which other phases are embedded.
Printing. a mold for casting typefaces.
master (def. 20).
Digital Technologya grid formed by perpendicular intersections that define potential space that may be filled, as by pixels on a screen, ink in dot-matrix printing, or material in 3D printing.
(in a press or stamping machine) a multiple die or perforated block on which the material to be formed is placed.
Mathematics. a rectangular array of numbers, algebraic symbols, or mathematical functions, especially when such arrays are added and multiplied according to certain rules.
Linguistics. a rectangular display of features characterizing a set of linguistic items, especially phonemes, usually presented as a set of columns of plus or minus signs specifying the presence or absence of each feature for each item.
Also called master. a mold made by electroforming from a disk recording, from which other disks may be pressed.
Archaic. the womb.
Origin of matrix
1325–75; Middle English matris, matrix<Latin mātrix female animal kept for breeding (Late Latin: register, originally of such beasts), parent stem (of plants), derivative of māter mother
a substance, situation, or environment in which something has its origin, takes form, or is enclosed
anatomythe thick tissue at the base of a nail from which a fingernail or toenail develops
the intercellular substance of bone, cartilage, connective tissue, etc
the rock material in which fossils, pebbles, etc, are embedded
the material in which a mineral is embedded; gangue
printing
a metal mould for casting type
a papier-mâché or plastic mould impressed from the forme and used for stereotypingSometimes shortened to: mat
(formerly) a mould used in the production of gramophone records. It is obtained by electrodeposition onto the master
a bed of perforated material placed beneath a workpiece in a press or stamping machine against which the punch operates
metallurgy
the shaped cathode used in electroforming
the metal constituting the major part of an alloy
the soft metal in a plain bearing in which the hard particles of surface metal are embedded
the main component of a composite material, such as the plastic in a fibre-reinforced plastic
mathsa rectangular array of elements set out in rows and columns, used to facilitate the solution of problems, such as the transformation of coordinates. Usually indicated by parentheses: (adbecf)Compare determinant (def. 3)
linguisticsthe main clause of a complex sentence
computinga rectangular array of circuit elements usually used to generate one set of signals from another
obsoletethe womb
Word Origin for matrix
C16: from Latin: womb, female animal used for breeding, from māter mother
GeologyThe mineral grains of a rock in which fossils are embedded.
BiologyThe component of an animal or plant tissue that is outside the cells. Bone cells are embedded in a matrix of collagen fibers and mineral salts. Connective tissue consists of cells and extracellular fibers in a liquid called ground substance. Also called extracellular matrix
MathematicsA rectangular array of numeric or algebraic quantities subject to mathematical operations.
AnatomyThe formative cells or tissue of a fingernail, toenail, or tooth.