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matrixes

 [mey-triks, ma-]   Origin

ma·trix

   [mey-triks, ma-]
noun, plural ma·tri·ces  [mey-tri-seez, ma-] , ma·trix·es.
1.
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.
2.
Anatomy. a formative part, as the corium beneath a nail.
3.
Biology.
a.
the intercellular substance of a tissue.
b.
ground substance.
4.
Petrology. the fine-grained portion of a rock in which coarser crystals or rock fragments are embedded.
5.
fine material, as cement, in which lumps of coarser material, as of an aggregate, are embedded.
EXPAND
6.
Mining. gangue.
7.
Metallurgy. a crystalline phase in an alloy in which other phases are embedded.
8.
Printing. a mold for casting typefaces.
9.
master (def. 18).
10.
(in a press or stamping machine) a multiple die or perforated block on which the material to be formed is placed.
11.
Mathematics. a rectangular array of numbers, algebraic symbols, or mathematical functions, especially when such arrays are added and multiplied according to certain rules.
12.
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.
13.
Also called master. a mold made by electroforming from a disk recording, from which other disks may be pressed.
14.
Archaic. the womb.
COLLAPSE
Origin:
1325–75; Middle English matris, matrix < Latin mātrix female animal kept for breeding (Late Latin: register, orig. of such beasts), parent stem (of plants), derivative of māter mother
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Matrixes is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

matrix
1373, from O.Fr. matrice, from L. matrix (gen. matricis) "pregnant animal," in L.L. "womb," also "source, origin," from mater (gen. matris) "mother." Sense of "place or medium where something is developed" is first recorded 1555; sense of "embedding or enclosing mass" first recorded 1641. Logical sense
EXPAND
of "array of possible combinations of truth-values" is attested from 1914.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

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

  1. A surrounding substance within which something else originates, develops, or is contained.

  2. The womb.

  3. The formative cells or tissue of a fingernail, toenail, or tooth.

  4. See ground substance.

  5. A specially shaped instrument, plastic material, or metal strip for holding and shaping the material used in filling a tooth cavity.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
matrix   (mā'trĭks)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural matrices (mā'trĭ-sēz', māt'rĭ-) or matrixes

  1. Geology The mineral grains of a rock in which fossils are embedded.

  2. Biology The 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.

  3. Mathematics A rectangular array of numeric or algebraic quantities subject to mathematical operations.

  4. Anatomy The formative cells or tissue of a fingernail, toenail, or tooth.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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