I. ˈmat, usu -ad.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English matt, matte, meatte, from Late Latin matta, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew miṭṭāh bed, couch
1. : a flat relatively thin article of usually pliant typically coarse material and rectangular, oval, or other shape that is set or laid especially on a horizontal surface as a protection or a support or cushion, or as a decorative feature, or marker: as
a.
(1) : a piece of coarse fabric that is typically made by weaving or plaiting straw, hemp, rope, rushes, or other similar material, and is used as a floor covering or as an article on which to sit or lie or stand
(2) : a piece of material that is typically made of meshed metal strips or twisted wire or of corrugated or perforated rubber so as to present a roughly ridged or furrowed surface and is placed at the entrance to a building for cleaning the bottoms of one's shoes
b. : a relatively small piece of woven, knitted, or felted cloth or of leather or finely woven or plaited straw or similar material made to have an ornamental appearance and used as a decorative and protective support (as for dishes and utensils on a table set for a meal)
c. : a piece of rubber or other material on which a lawn bowler places one foot when bowling a ball
d. : a large usually rectangular pad or cushion several inches thick that is made of sponge rubber, kapok, felt, or other similar material typically covered with canvas or plastic and is laid out over an area of a floor (as in a gymnasium) so as to protect wrestlers, tumblers, or others engaged in gymnastic activities from injuring themselves through concussions (as from falls)
2. obsolete : material used in making mats : matting
3.
a. : a webbing of rope yarn used to protect rigging from chafing
b. : mattress 2b
c. : a mesh of heavy chain, cables, or rope used to confine debris in blasting
d. : a large slab made usually of reinforced concrete and laid on soft ground to support a heavy building
4.
a. : a sack used for packing coffee or sugar
b. : the solid part of a lace design
5. : something made up of many strands thickly intertwined or knotted so as to form a tangled often impenetrable mass
a mat of unkempt hair
a mat of rank jungle undergrowth
specifically : a thick interlacing growth of vegetation either free on the surface of or overlying the margin of a body of water
•
- go to the mat
- on the mat
II. verb
( matted ; matted ; matting ; mats )
transitive verb
1. : to provide or cover with or as if with a mat or matting: as
a. : to provide with a floor mat or similar mat
the room had been well matted
matted the cottage floors
b.
(1) : to cover over with the typically coarse material used in making mats
matting chair bottoms
(2) : to protect (as plants) by covering up with a warm coarse material — usually used with up
matted up the bushes before the cold snap began
c. : to cover over with a tangled often impenetrable mass made up of many thickly intertwined or knotted strands
the old trail had become matted with undergrowth
ivy matted the walls of the ancient temple
2.
a.
(1) : to cause to be thickly intertwined or knotted so as to form a tangled often impenetrable mass
the boughs of the trees were matted together
dirt and filth matted their hair
(2) : to pack down or together so as to form a dense often impenetrable mass — usually used with down
constant tramping over the area had matted down the grass
b. : to cause (soft particles) to come together and adhere so as to form a soft semisolid mass
matting curd particles in the making of cheese
3. : to make into a floor mat or similar mat by weaving, plaiting, or other interlacing
native women matting straw
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to become thickly intertwined or knotted so as to form a tangled often impenetrable mass
untended weeds will eventually mat together
b. : to become packed down or together so as to form a dense often impenetrable mass — usually used with down
corduroy pile has a tendency to mat down in areas subjected to pressure or abrasion — Dorothy S. Lyle
2. : to come together and adhere so as to form a soft semisolid mass
piling curd at the side of a cheese-making vat and allowing it to mat
III. transitive verb
or matt or matte “
( matted ; matted ; matting ; mats or matts or mattes )
Etymology: French mater, from Old French, to defeat, overcome, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin mattare, from Latin mattus stupid, drunk
1. : to cause (as metals, glass, colors) to have a surface or finish or a general appearance that is without luster or gloss : give a dulled effect to
2.
[ mat (V) ]
: to provide (a picture) with a mat
IV. adjective
or matt or matte “
Etymology: French mat, from Old French, defeated, overcome, from Latin mattus stupid, drunk; akin to Latin madēre to be wet — more at meat
1. : being without or deprived of luster or gloss : having a usually smooth even surface free from shine or highlights
mat metals
mat colors
mat glass
the mat white face of a circus clown
2. : having a coarse rough rugose or granular surface
a bacterium that forms mat colonies on agar
V. noun
or matt or matte “
( -s )
Etymology: French mat dull color, unpolished surface, from mat, adjective
1. : a border (as of white or gilt cardboard) that is put around a picture so as to be between the picture and its frame or so as to serve as the sole frame of the picture
2.
a.
(1) : a surface or finish (as on metals, glass, colors) that is without luster or gloss or is otherwise dulled
(2) : a material or instrument used in producing such a surface or finish
b. usually matte : an opaque sheet or plate sometimes containing an aperture (as a keyhole) used in a motion-picture camera or printing gate to obscure a selected area of a scene during exposure
3.
[by shortening]
: matrix 4a
VI. abbreviation
1. material
2. matinee
3. matins
4. maturity