Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “matrix” come from?

Matrix comes from Old French matrice, from Latin matrix meaning womb or source, derived from Latin mater meaning mother, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European méh₂tēr.

matrix (English): The womb; The material or tissue in which more...

Definitions

  1. The womb; The material or tissue in which more...

Ancestry of “matrix”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchmatricefemale reproductive system
2Latinmātrīx—
3Latinmāter—
4Ancient GreekἄρχωTo begin; To lead, rule, govern, command; To be...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ergʰ-to begin; to command, rule; to begin, rule,...

Words derived from “matrix”

  • submatrix
  • matrixed
  • neuromatrix
  • sociomatrix
  • supermatrix
  • matroid
  • bimatrix
  • biomatrix
  • matrixial
  • cytomatrix
  • matrixlike
  • nonmatrix
  • matrixectomy
  • matroidal
  • eigenmatrix
  • multimatrix
  • polymatroid
  • hypermatrix
  • comatrix
  • intramatrix
  • matrician
  • matrixwise
  • semimatrix
  • polymatroidal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ergʰ- →