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matron

 - 4 dictionary results

ma⋅tron

  [mey-truhn]
Use matron in a Sentence
–noun
1. a married woman, esp. one who is mature and staid or dignified and has an established social position.
2. a woman who has charge of the domestic affairs of a hospital, prison, or other institution.
3. a woman serving as a guard, warden, or attendant for women or girls, as in a prison.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME matrone < L mātrōna a married woman, wife, deriv. of māter mother

Related forms:
ma⋅tron⋅al  [mey-truh-nl, ma-] , adjective
ma⋅tron⋅hood, ma⋅tron⋅ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To matron
ma·tron   (mā'trən)   
n.  

  1. A married woman or a widow, especially a mother of dignity, mature age, and established social position.

  2. A woman who acts as a supervisor or monitor in a public institution, such as a school, hospital, or prison.


[Middle English matrone, from Old French, from Latin mātrōna, from māter, mātr-, mother; see māter- in Indo-European roots.]
ma'tron·al adj., ma'tron·li·ness n., ma'tron·ly adv. & adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

matron 
c.1375, "married woman" (usually one of rank), from O.Fr. matrone, from L. matrona "married woman," from mater (gen. matris) "mother." Sense of "female manager of school, hospital, etc." first recorded 1557.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ma·tron
Pronunciation: 'mA-tr&n
Function: noun
British : a woman superintendent of a medical institution (as a hospital)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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