Noun
matrix (plural matrices or matrixes)
- The cavity or mold in which anything is formed.
- (now rare) The womb.
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:upon conception the inward orifice of the matrix exactly closeth, so that it commonly admitteth nothing after […]
1969, Vladimir Nabokov, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in Ada, or, Ardor: A Family Chronicle, Harmondsworth, London: Penguin Books, published 1970, →ISBN, part 2, page 269: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 […]
- The metaphorical place where something is made, formed, or given birth.
1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 172: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 ceremonial sacrifices, expiations, initiations, Sun and Nature festivals, eucharistic and orgiastic communions and celebrations, mystery-plays, dramatic representations, myths and legends, etc. [...] have practically sprung from the same root: a root deep and necessary in the psychology of Man.
- (biology) The material or tissue in which more specialized structures are embedded.
- (biology) An extracellular matrix, the material or tissue between the cells of animals or plants.
- (biology) Part of the mitochondrion.
- (biology) The medium in which bacteria are cultured.
- A table of data.
- (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.
2003, Robert A. Liebler, Basic Matrix Algebra with Algorithms and Applications, CRC Press (Chapman & Hall/CRC), page 64:Check that the in the example is itself the adjacency matrix of the indicated digraph:
- 2007, Gerhard Kloos, Matrix Methods for Optical Layout, SPIE Press, 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.
- (computing) A two-dimensional array.
- (slang, figurative, science fiction) Alternative letter-case form of Matrix; a controlled environment or situation in which people behave in ways that conform to pre-determined roles.
1984, William Gibson, Neuromancer (Sprawl; book 1), New York, N.Y.: Ace Books, →ISBN, page 5:He'd operated on an almost permanent adrenaline high, a byproduct of youth and proficiency, jacked into a custom cyberspace deck that projected his disembodied consciousness into the consensual hallucination that was the matrix.
2023 October 28, Jemima Kelly, “Back to school”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 20:Mari Otsu, a 25-year-old Japanese-Hawaiian artist, tells me she was “desperately lonely” while she was studying at New York University, when she “realised that [she][sic] was in the matrix”. I ask her what she means.
- (electronics) A grid-like arrangement of electronic components, especially one intended for information coding, decoding or storage.
1949, Proceedings of the Association of American Railroads: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.
1959, John Millar Carroll, Modern Transistor Circuits:The transistor matrix in the encoder supplies the sequential gates.
1962, Burroughs Corporation, Digital Computer Principles:A transistor-diode matrix is composed of vertical and horizontal wires with a transistor at each intersection.
1987, David Ardayfio, Fundamentals of Robotics:Robot controllers range in complexity from simple stepping switches through pneumatic logic sequencers, diode matrix boards, electronic sequencers, and microprocessors to minicomputers.
2002, B. Somantathan Nair, Digital Electronics and Logic Design:Diode matrix is the most fundamental of all ROM structure.
- (geology) A geological matrix.
- (archaeology, paleontology) The sediment surrounding and including the artifacts, features, and other materials at a site.
- (analytical chemistry) The environment from which a given sample is taken.
- (printing, historical) In hot metal typesetting, a mold for casting a letter.
- (printing, historical) In printmaking, the plate or block used, with ink, to hold the image that makes up the print.
- Synonym: printing form
- (dyeing) The five simple colours (black, white, blue, red, and yellow) from which all the others are formed.
- (material science) A binding agent of composite materials, e.g. resin in fibreglass.
Translations
biology: embedding material or tissue
part of the mitochondrion
medium in which bacteria are cultured
- Finnish: matriksi, viljelyaine
- Icelandic: uppistöðuefni
- Italian: matrice (it) f
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Roman: bakterijska podloga f
|
math: rectangular arrangement of numbers or terms
computing: circuitry inside a keyboard
archaeology: sediment surrounding and including materials
analytical chemistry: sampling environment
plate or block holding an image (printing)
binding component of compound materials
Translations to be checked
Noun
matrix m inan
- (biology) matrix
Declension
More information singular, plural ...
|
singular |
plural |
nominative |
matrix |
matrixy |
genitive |
matrixu |
matrixů |
dative |
matrixu |
matrixům |
accusative |
matrix |
matrixy |
vocative |
matrixe |
matrixy |
locative |
matrixu |
matrixech |
instrumental |
matrixem |
matrixy |
Close
Declension of matrix (hard masculine inanimate)
Further reading
- matrix in Akademický slovník cizích slov, 1995, at prirucka.ujc.cas.cz
- “matrix”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)
Etymology
Ultimately from Latin mātrīx. Cognate with matrijs. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmaːtrɪks/
- Hyphenation: ma‧trix
References
- “matrix”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- matrix in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
- matrix in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmat.riks/
- Rhymes: -atriks
- Syllabification: mat‧rix
Etymology 1
Unadapted borrowing from English Matrix. Doublet of matryca.
Noun
matrix m inan
- (science fiction, slang) Matrix (simulated reality to which many humans are connected; in some works, it is created by sentient machines to subdue humans)
Declension
More information singular, plural ...
|
singular |
plural |
nominative |
matrix |
matriksy |
genitive |
matriksa |
matriksów |
dative |
matriksowi |
matriksom |
accusative |
matrix |
matriksy |
instrumental |
matriksem |
matriksami |
locative |
matriksie |
matriksach |
vocative |
matriksie |
matriksy |
Close
Further reading
- matrix in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- matrix in Polish dictionaries at PWN
- matrix in PWN's encyclopedia