[matte] or matt var of [3]mat
[2]matte also matt adj [F mat, fr. OF, faded, defeated] (ca. 1648): lacking or deprived of luster or gloss: as a: having a usu. smooth even surface free from shine or highlights "~ metals" "a ~ finish" b: having a rough or granular surface [3]matte n [F, fr. MF, crude metal, curdled milk, fr. fem. of mat thick, dull, matte] (1839) 1: a crude mixture of sulfides formed in smelting sulfide ores of metals (as copper, lead, or nickel)
2: 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)