matrix

See also: Matrix and mátrix

Alternative forms

• matrice (obsolete)
• Matrix (as a proper noun)

Etymology

From Middle English matris, matrice, matrix, from Old French matrice (“pregnant animal”), or from Latin mātrīx (“dam, womb”), both ultimately from māter (“mother”). Doublet of mother from Indo-European ancestor.

Noun

matrix (plural matrices or matrixes)

1. The cavity or mold in which anything is formed.
2. (now rare) The womb.
3. The metaphorical place where something is made, formed, or given birth.
4. (biology) The material or tissue in which more specialized structures are embedded.
5. (biology) An extracellular matrix, the material or tissue between the cells of animals or plants.
6. (biology) Part of the mitochondrion.
7. (biology) The medium in which bacteria are cultured.
8. A table of data.
9. (mathematics) A rectangular arrangement of numbers or terms having various uses such as transforming coordinates in geometry, solving systems of linear equations in linear algebra and representing graphs in graph theory.
10. (computing) A two-dimensional array.
11. (slang, figurative, science fiction) Alternative letter-case form of Matrix; a controlled environment or situation in which people behave in ways that conform to pre-determined roles.
12. (electronics) A grid-like arrangement of electronic components, especially one intended for information coding, decoding or storage.
13. (geology) A geological matrix.
14. (archaeology, paleontology) The sediment surrounding and including the artifacts, features, and other materials at a site.
15. (analytical chemistry) The environment from which a given sample is taken.
16. (printing, historical) In hot metal typesetting, a mold for casting a letter.
17. (printing, historical) In printmaking, the plate or block used, with ink, to hold the image that makes up the print. Synonym: printing form
18. (dyeing) The five simple colours (black, white, blue, red, and yellow) from which all the others are formed.
19. (material science) A binding agent of composite materials, e.g. resin in fibreglass.
20. (linguistics) Matrix clause is a clause that has another (subordinate) clause embedded within it.

Synonyms

• (mathematics): array, table
• (table of data): array, grid, spreadsheet, table
• (computing): array

Hyponyms

• active matrix
• adjacency matrix
• augmented matrix
• biomatrix
• Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix
• Cartan matrix
• CKM matrix
• coefficient matrix
• conference matrix
• Coxeter matrix
• data matrix
• defective matrix
• degenerate matrix
• density matrix
• diagonal matrix
• dot matrix
• eigenmatrix
• elementary matrix
• extracellular matrix
• Fock matrix
• geological matrix
• germinal matrix
• Hankel matrix
• Hermitian matrix
• Hessian matrix
• identity matrix
• incidence matrix
• interaction matrix
• inverse matrix
• invertible matrix
• Jacobian matrix
• Jordan matrix
• Laplacian matrix
• mitochondrial matrix
• nuclear matrix
• null matrix
• orthogonal matrix
• passive matrix
• Pauli matrix
• Plücker matrix
• polymatrix
• projection matrix
• right stochastic matrix
• Rumsfeld matrix
• singular matrix
• skew-symmetric matrix
• S-matrix
• square matrix
• stochastic matrix
• symmetric matrix
• symplectic matrix
• territorial matrix
• Toeplitz matrix
• transfer matrix
• transformation matrix
• transition matrix
• triangular matrix
• Tutte matrix
• unitary matrix
• unit matrix
• zero matrix

Derived terms

• bimatrix
• biomatrix
• comatrix
• cytomatrix
• dot-matrix
• dot matrix printer
• hemimatrix
• hypermatrix
• impact matrix printer
• intramatrix
• matrician
• matrisome
• matrix algebra
• matrix clause
• matrix decomposition
• matrix diagram
• matrixectomy
• matrixed
• matrix group
• matrixial
• Matrixism
• matrix isolation
• matrix language
• matrixlike
• matrix management
• matrix mechanics
• matrix metalloproteinase
• matrix mixer
• matrix protein
• matrixwise
• matroid
• multimatrix
• nanomatrix
• neuromatrix
• nonmatrix
• perimatrix
• polymatrix
• pro-matrix metalloproteinase
• semimatrix
• sociomatrix
• submatrix
• supermatrix
• trimatrix

Related terms

• alma mater
• matriculate

Translations

±womb — see alsowomb,‎ uterus

±biology: embedding material or tissue

±extracellular matrix — see alsoextracellular matrix

±part of the mitochondrion

±medium in which bacteria are cultured

±math: rectangular arrangement of numbers or terms

±two-dimensional array

±computing: circuitry inside a keyboard

±table of data

geological matrix

geological matrix

±archaeology: sediment surrounding and including materials

±analytical chemistry: sampling environment

±mold for casting a letter (hot metal typesetting)

±plate or block holding an image (printing)

±binding component of compound materials

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 12:46AM