Matrix Means Womb
A matrix is a grid or a surrounding structure. The Latin word means womb, from *mater*, mother.
A matrix is a rectangular array of numbers, or the material in which something is embedded. The Latin *matrix* means a womb or a breeding female, from *mater*, mother. The shared idea is a surrounding structure that something develops within, which is why printing, geology, biology and mathematics all reached for the same word.
- A rectangular array. *A three by three matrix.*
- A surrounding structure. *The rock matrix.*
- A mould. *A printing matrix.*
- Matrices — the plural. *Two matrices.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | matrix | An identity matrix. |
| Plural | matrices | Multiplying matrices. |
| Plural | matrixes | Also used. |
| Related | mother | A birth mother. |
| Related | maternal | Maternal care. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Matrix multiplication is not commutative.Order matters.
- Fossils sit in a rock matrix.Geology.
- Matrix means womb in Latin.From *mater*.
Words from *mater*, mother
- Matrix — a womb, and a surrounding structure
- Maternal — motherly
- Matron — originally a married woman
- Material — the substance from which things are made
- Matter — from the same root, meaning substance
From Latin *matrix*, a womb or breeding animal, from *mater*, mother. The mathematical sense was coined in 1850 by James Sylvester.
Matrices or matrixes?
Both are used. Matrices is standard in mathematics; matrixes appears in general contexts.
Are matter and mother related?
Yes. Latin *materia* meant the substance from which things grow, from *mater*, and gives English both *matter* and *material*.