Word.ws English Dictionary

matrix

/ˈmeɪ.tɹɪks/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Australia/ˈmæɪ.tɹɪks/

matrix noun: the cavity or mold in which anything is formed. Also the alternative letter-case form of Matrix.

Noun

matrix (plural matrices or matrixes)

  1. The cavity or mold in which anything is formed.
  2. (archaic) The womb.
    • upon conception the inward orifice of the matrix exactly closeth, so that it commonly admitteth nothing after […]1650, Thomas Browne, “Enquiries into Vulgar”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC, 3rd book, page 122
    • In very rare cases, when the matrix just goes on pegging away automatically, the doctor can take advantage of that and ease out the second brat who then can be considered to be, say, three minutes younger […]1969, Vladimir Nabokov, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in Ada, or, Ardor: A Family Chronicle, Harmondsworth, Middlesex [London]: Penguin Books, published 1970, →ISBN, part 2, page 269
  3. The metaphorical place where something is made, formed, or given birth.
    • When it is remembered that ritual dancing was the matrix out of which the Drama sprang, and further that the drama in its inception (as still to-day in India) was an affair of religion and was acted in, or in connection with, the Temples, it becomes easier to understand how all this mass of...1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 172
  4. The material or tissue in which more specialized structures are embedded.
  5. An extracellular matrix, the material or tissue between the cells of animals or plants.
  6. Part of the mitochondrion.
  7. The medium in which bacteria are cultured.
  8. A table of data.
  9. 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.
    • Theorem (7.5.2) then says that every positive semidefinite matrix is a convex combination of matrices that lie on extreme rays.1987, [1985], Roger A. Horn, Charles R. Johnson, Matrix Analysis, Paperback edition, Cambridge University Press, published 1990, page 464
    • Check that the #92;mathcal#123;A#125;(#92;mathcal#123;D#125;)² in the example is itself the adjacency matrix of the indicated digraph:2003, Robert A. Liebler, Basic Matrix Algebra with Algorithms and Applications, CRC Press (Chapman & Hall/CRC), page 64
  10. A two-dimensional array.
  11. A grid-like arrangement of electronic components, especially one intended for information coding, decoding or storage.
    • Any type of core or diode matrix used to derive the decoding of these codes would amount to a rather large volume of terminals for just the 17,500 terminals alone.1949, Proceedings of the Association of American Railroads
    • The transistor matrix in the encoder supplies the sequential gates.1959, John Millar Carroll, Modern Transistor Circuits
  12. A geological matrix.
Show 7 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. The sediment surrounding and including the artifacts, features, and other materials at a site.
  2. (analytical chemistry) The environment from which a given sample is taken.
  3. (historical) In hot metal typesetting, a mold for casting a letter.
  4. (historical) In printmaking, the plate or block used, with ink, to hold the image that makes up the print.
    Synonyms:
    printing form
  5. The five simple colours (black, white, blue, red, and yellow) from which all the others are formed.
  6. (material) A binding agent of composite materials, e.g. resin in fibreglass.
  7. Matrix clause is a clause that has another (subordinate) clause embedded within it.

Proper noun capitalized: Matrix

the Matrix

  1. A simulated reality to which many humans are connected. In some works created by sentient machines to subdue humans.
    • “The matrix has its roots in primitive arcade games,” said the voice-over, “in early graphics programs and military experimentation with cranial jacks.” […] “Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught...1984, William Gibson, chapter 3, in Neuromancer (Sprawl; book 1), New York, N.Y.: Ace Books, →ISBN, page 51
    • Now some folks want to claim that we're in the Matrix right now (or that the physical world is an illusion).2009 September 23, possum, “Re: In which the Trollpa evinzes hizzelf aza profezzional nuizzance”, in talk.religion.buddhism (Usenet), message-ID...
  2. (figuratively) A social institution or apparatus perceived as largely deceptive or illusory.
    • They claimed that Paraguay’s accommodating immigration laws have proved attractive to Germans who want to “escape the matrix” and flee the “deep state and one world order”.2022 January 27, William Costa, “German-speaking Covid denialists seek to build paradise in Paraguay”, in The Guardian

Also used as

matrix is also the alternative letter-case form of Matrix.

matrix meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

matrix in Hindi

9. math: rectangular arrangement of numbers or terms
आव्यूह āvyūh

matrix in Tamil

மேட்ரிக்ஸ், மாட்ரிக்ஸ்

matrix in Marathi

मॅट्रिक्स

matrix in Urdu

میٹرکس, میٹریکس
More languagesFewer languages
matrix in Bengali
ম্যাট্রিক্স
matrix in Telugu
మాత్రిక mātrika
matrix in Malayalam
മാട്രിക്സ്, മെട്രിക്സ്
matrix in Kannada
ಮ್ಯಾಟ್ರಿಕ್ಸ್, ಮೆಟ್ರಿಕ್ಸ್, ಮಾಟ್ರಿಕ್ಸ್
matrix in Punjabi
ਮੈਟ੍ਰਿਕਸ, ਮੈਟਰਿਕਸ
matrix in Gujarati
મેટ્રિક્સ, મેટ્રીક્સ, મેટ્રિક્સ્
matrix in Odia
ମାଟ୍ରିକ୍ସ, ମ୍ଯ଼ାଟ୍ରିକ୍ସ, ମ୍ଯ଼ାଟ୍ରିକ୍ସ୍
matrix in Nepali
म्याट्रिक्स, माट्रिक्स
matrix in Tagalog
baskagan
matrix in Arabic
مَصْفُوفَة maṣfūfa
matrix in Malay
matriks
matrix in Indonesian
matriks
matrix in Persian
ماتریس mâtris
matrix in Thai
เมทริกซ์
matrix in Vietnamese
ma trận

Examples of matrix in a sentence

  • A transistor-diode matrix is composed of vertical and horizontal wires with a transistor at each intersection.1962, Burroughs Corporation, Digital Computer Principles:
  • Robot controllers range in complexity from simple stepping switches through pneumatic logic sequencers, diode matrix boards, electronic sequencers, and microprocessors to minicomputers.1987, David Ardayfio, Fundamentals of Robotics:
  • Diode matrix is the most fundamental of all ROM structure.2002, B. Somantathan Nair, Digital Electronics and Logic Design:

All 40 example sentences with matrix

Synonyms of matrix

All synonyms of matrix

Forms of matrix

Noun
pluralmatrices
pluralmatrixes
alternative capitalizedMatrix
alternative form (obsolete)matrice
Proper noun
alternative formmatrix

Plural of matrix: matrices or matrixes

Origin of matrix

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. Slang usage coined with the 1999 sci-fi action film The Matrix.

From the 1984 novel Neuromancer and popularized in the 1999 movie The Matrix. See matrix for further etymology.

Words formed from matrix

Phrases with matrix

57 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with matrix

Questions about matrix

What does matrix mean?
Matrix means the cavity or mold in which anything is formed.
What is matrix in Hindi?
Matrix in Hindi is आव्यूह (āvyūh). See Matrix meaning in Hindi.
How do you use matrix in a sentence?
A transistor-diode matrix is composed of vertical and horizontal wires with a transistor at each intersection.
What part of speech is matrix?
Matrix can be a noun or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce matrix?
Matrix is pronounced /ˈmeɪ.tɹɪks/.
What is the plural of matrix?
The plural of matrix is matrices.

Words near matrix in the dictionary

  1. matrisomes
  2. matrist
  3. matristic
  4. matristics
  5. matrists
  6. matrix
  7. matrix algebra
  8. matrix algebras
  9. matrix clause
  10. matrix clauses
  11. matrix decomposition

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: matrix (page history and authors); Matrix (page history and authors); matrix (Tamil, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); matrix (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); matrix (Urdu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); matrix (Bengali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); matrix (Malayalam, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); matrix (Kannada, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); matrix (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); matrix (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); matrix (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); matrix (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-matrix.ogg.

Cite this entry: “matrix.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/matrix. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.