MATTE

I. or matt see: mat II. adjective also mat or matt Etymology: French mat, from Old French, faded, defeated Date: circa 1648 lacking or deprived of luster or gloss: as, having a usually smooth even surface free from shine or highlights , having a rough or granular surface, III. noun Etymology: French, from Middle French, crude metal, curdled milk, from feminine of mat thick, dull, ~ Date: 1839 a crude mixture of sulfides formed in smelting sulfide ores of metals (as copper, lead, or nickel), a motion-picture effect in which part of a scene is blocked out and later replaced by footage containing other material (as a background painting)