English
matrix
see also: Matrix
Pronunciation
  • 1: enPR: māʹtrĭks; IPA: /ˈmeɪtɹɪks/
  • 2: enPR: măʹtrĭks; IPA: /ˈmætɹɪks/
Noun

matrix (plural matrices)

  1. (now rare) The womb.
    • 1646, Sir Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, III.17:
      upon conception the inward orifice of the matrix exactly closeth, so that it commonly admitteth nothing after [...].
    • 1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin 2011, p. 296:
      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 [...].
  2. (biology) The material or tissue in which more specialized structures are embedded.
  3. (biology) An extracellular matrix, the material or tissue between the cells of animals or plants.
  4. (biology) Part of the mitochondrion.
  5. (biology) The medium in which bacteria are cultured.
  6. (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.
    • 1987 [1985], Roger Horn, Charles Royal Johnson, Matrix Analysis, Cambridge University Press, 1990, Paperback Edition, page 464 ↗,
      Theorem (7.5.2) then says that every positive semidefinite matrix is a convex combination of matrices that lie on extreme rays.
    • 2003, Robert A. Liebler, Basic Matrix Algebra with Algorithms and Applications, CRC Press (Chapman & Hall/CRC), page 64 ↗,
      Check that the \mathcal{A}(\mathcal{D})^2 in the example is itself the adjacency matrix of the indicated digraph:
    • 2007, Gerhard Kloos, Matrix Methods for Optical Layout, SPIE, page 25 ↗,
      The matrix describing the reflection at a plane mirror can be obtained by taking the matrix for reflection at a spherical reflector and letting the radius of the spherical mirror tend to infinity.
  7. (computing) A two-dimensional array.
  8. (electronics) A grid-like arrangement of electronic components, especially one intended for information coding, decoding or storage.
  9. A table of data.
  10. (geology) A geological matrix.
  11. (archaeology and paleontology) The sediment surrounding and including the artifacts, features, and other materials at a site.
  12. (analytical chemistry) The environment from which a given sample is taken.
  13. (printing, historical) In hot metal typesetting, a mold for casting a letter.
  14. (printing, historical) In printmaking, the plate or block used, with ink, to hold the image that makes up the print.
    Synonyms: printing form
  15. The cavity or mold in which anything is formed.
  16. (dyeing) The five simple colours (black, white, blue, red, and yellow) from which all the others are formed.
  17. (material science) A binding agent of composite materials, e.g. resin in fibreglass.
Synonyms Translations Translations Translations
  • Portuguese: matriz mitocondrial
Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations
Matrix
Proper noun
  1. (science fiction) A simulated reality created by sentient machines to subdue humans.
    • Now some folks want to claim that we're in the Matrix right now (or that the physical world is an illusion).
    • 2017, Chuck Lorre Productions #557 (post-episode text), "The Recollection Dissipation", The Big Bang Theory
      Recent events have made it abundantly clear that the fabric of the universe is unraveling. Reality as you know it, the matrix if you will, is dissolving.
  2. (figurative) A social institution or apparatus perceived as largely deceptive or illusory to humans.


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