mat

- 15 dictionary results

mat

1 [mat]

noun, verb, mat⋅ted, mat⋅ting.

Use mat in a Sentence

See web results for mat

See images of mat

–noun

1.	a piece of fabric made of plaited or woven rushes, straw, hemp, or similar fiber, or of some other pliant material, as rubber, used as a protective covering on a floor or other surface, to wipe the shoes on, etc.

2.	a smaller piece of material, often ornamental, set under a dish of food, a lamp, vase, etc.

Sports.

a.	the padded canvas covering the entire floor of a wrestling ring, for protecting the contestants from injury when thrown.

b.	a thick pad placed on the floor for the protection of tumblers and others engaged in gymnastic sports.

4.	a thickly growing or thick and tangled mass, as of hair or weeds.

5.	a sack made of matting, as for coffee or sugar.

6.	a slablike footing of concrete, esp. one for an entire building.

7.	a heavy mesh reinforcement for a concrete slab.

–verb (used with object)

8.	to cover with or as if with mats or matting.

9.	to form into a mat, as by interweaving.

–verb (used without object)

10.	to become entangled; form tangled masses.

—Idiom

11.	go to the mat, to contend or struggle in a determined or unyielding way: The President is going to the mat with Congress over the proposed budget cuts.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME, OE matte < LL matta mat of rushes < Sem; cf. Heb mittāh bed

Related forms:

matless, adjective

Miller Analogy Test Cards
Use the Leitner Flashcard System to help pass the Miller Analogy Test.

www.flashcardsecrets.com/mat

Mat
Looking for Mat? Wholesale prices. Order today!

IndustrialHardware.com

mat

2 [mat]

noun, verb, mat⋅ted, mat⋅ting.

–noun

1.	a piece of cardboard or other material placed over or under a drawing, painting, photograph, etc., to serve as a frame or provide a border between the picture and the frame.

–verb (used with object)

2.	to provide (a picture) with a mat.

Origin:
1835–40; appar. mat ¹ , influenced by matte ¹

mat

3 [mat]

–adjective, noun, verb, mat⋅ted, mat⋅ting.

matte ¹ .

mat

4 [mat]

–noun Printing.

1.	the intaglio, usually of papiermâché, impressed from type or a cut, from which a stereotype plate is cast.

2.	matrix (def. 8).

Origin:
1920–25; shortened form of matrix

mat.

matins.

maturity.

M.A.T.

Master of Arts in Teaching.

matte

1 [mat]

adjective, noun, verb, mat⋅ted, mat⋅ting.

–adjective

1.	having a dull or lusterless surface: matte paint; a matte complexion; a photograph with a matte finish.

–noun

2.	a dull or dead surface, often slightly roughened, as on metals, paint, paper, or glass.

3.	a tool for producing such a surface.

4.	Metallurgy. an unfinished metallic product of the smelting of certain sulfide ores, esp. those of copper.

5.	Movies. matte shot.

–verb (used with object)

6.	to finish with a matte surface.

Also, mat, matt.

Origin:
1640–50; < F mat (masc.), matte (fem.), OF < LL mattus moist, soft, weak, perh. < *maditus, deriv. of L madēre to be wet

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

Link To mat

mat¹ (māt)

A flat piece of coarse fabric or other material used for wiping one's shoes or feet, or in various other forms as a floor covering.
A small flat piece of decorated material placed under a lamp, dish of food, or other object.
Sports A floor pad to protect athletes, as in wrestling or gymnastics.
A densely woven or thickly tangled mass: a mat of hair.
The solid part of a lace design.
A heavy woven net of rope or wire cable placed over a blasting site to keep debris from scattering.

v. mat·ted, mat·ting, mats

v. tr.

To cover, protect, or decorate with mats or a mat.
To pack or interweave into a thick mass: High winds matted the leaves against the base of the fence.

v. intr.
To be packed or interwoven into a thick mass; become entangled.

[Middle English, from Old English matte, from Late Latin matta, of Phoenician origin; see nṭy in Semitic roots.]

mat² (māt)

A decorative border placed around a picture to serve as a frame or provide contrast between the picture and the frame.
also matte
1. A dull, often rough finish, as of paint, glass, metal, or paper.
2. A special tool for producing such a surface or finish.
Printing See matrix.

tr.v. mat·ted, mat·ting, mats

To put a mat around (a picture).
To produce a dull finish on.

adj. also matte
Having a dull finish.

[From French, dull, from Old French, defeated, withered, perhaps from Latin mattus, stupefied, senseless, possibly from *maditus, past participle of madēre, to be wet.]

MAT
abbr. Master of Arts in Teaching

ma·trix (mā'trĭks)

n. pl. ma·tri·ces (mā'trĭ-sēz', māt'rĭ-) or ma·trix·es

A situation or surrounding substance within which something else originates, develops, or is contained: "Freedom of expression is the matrix, the indispensable condition, of nearly every form of freedom" (Benjamin N. Cardozo).
The womb.
Anatomy
1. The formative cells or tissue of a fingernail, toenail, or tooth.
2. See ground substance.
3. The solid matter in which a fossil or crystal is embedded.
4. Groundmass.
5. Mathematics A rectangular array of numeric or algebraic quantities subject to mathematical operations.
6. Something resembling such an array, as in the regular formation of elements into columns and rows.
7. A mold used in stereotyping and designed to receive positive impressions of type or illustrations from which metal plates can be cast. Also called mat².
8. A metal plate used for casting typefaces.
Geology
1. The solid matter in which a fossil or crystal is embedded.
2. Groundmass.
3. Mathematics A rectangular array of numeric or algebraic quantities subject to mathematical operations.
4. Something resembling such an array, as in the regular formation of elements into columns and rows.
5. A mold used in stereotyping and designed to receive positive impressions of type or illustrations from which metal plates can be cast. Also called mat².
6. A metal plate used for casting typefaces.
A mold or die.
The principal metal in an alloy, as the iron in steel.
A binding substance, as cement in concrete.
1. Mathematics A rectangular array of numeric or algebraic quantities subject to mathematical operations.
2. Something resembling such an array, as in the regular formation of elements into columns and rows.
3. A mold used in stereotyping and designed to receive positive impressions of type or illustrations from which metal plates can be cast. Also called mat².
4. A metal plate used for casting typefaces.
Computer Science The network of intersections between input and output leads in a computer, functioning as an encoder or a decoder.
Printing
1. A mold used in stereotyping and designed to receive positive impressions of type or illustrations from which metal plates can be cast. Also called mat².
2. A metal plate used for casting typefaces.
An electroplated impression of a phonograph record used to make duplicate records.

[Middle English matrice, from Old French, from Late Latin mātrīx, mātrīc-, from Latin, breeding-animal, from māter, mātr-, mother; see māter- in Indo-European roots.]

Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ¹mat
Variants: or matt or matte /'mat/
Function: adjective
1 : lacking or deprived of lusteror gloss : having a usually smooth even surface free from shine or highlights
2 : having a coarse rough rugose or granular surface matcolonies on agar>

Main Entry: ²mat
Function: noun
: a mat colony of bacteria

Idioms & Phrases

mat

see go to the mat; welcome mat.

Abbreviations & Acronyms

MAT
Master of Arts in Teaching

Search another word or see mat on Thesaurus | Reference

Mat
Find Mat Online. Free Shipping $50 on 100,000 Items!

Target.com/FreeShipping

Facebook TwitterFollow us:

About
·
Privacy Policy
·
Terms of Use
·
Careers
·
Advertise with Us
·
Link to Us
·
Contact Us

Partner Sites:

Ask Answers Evite Expedia Hotels Hotwire Life123 LiveDaily My Way