matrix
noun
[ ˈmeɪtrɪks ]
• the cultural, social, or political environment in which something develops.
• "Oxbridge was the matrix of the ideology"
• a mass of fine-grained rock in which gems, crystals, or fossils are embedded.
• "nodules of secondary limestone set in a matrix of porous dolomite"
• a mould in which something, such as a record or printing type, is cast or shaped.
• "her two duets with Isobel Baillie were never issued and the matrices were destroyed"
• a rectangular array of quantities or expressions in rows and columns that is treated as a single entity and manipulated according to particular rules.
• "this formula applies for all square matrices"
• an organizational structure in which two or more lines of command, responsibility, or communication may run through the same individual.
• "matrix structures are said to foster greater flexibility"
Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘womb’): from Latin, ‘breeding female’, later ‘womb’, from mater, matr- ‘mother’.
