matron

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French matrone, Latin matrona (“married woman”), from mater (“mother”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪtɹən/
• Rhymes: -eɪtɹən

Noun

matron (plural matrons)

1. A mature or elderly woman.
   • Thomas Fuller (1606-1661)

     grave from her cradle, insomuch that she was a matron before she was a mother

2. A wife or a widow, especially, one who has borne children.
3. A woman of staid or motherly manners.
   • William Shakespeare (c.1564–1616)

     your wives, your daughters, your matrons, and your maids

   • 1907, Robert William Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set (Project Gutenberg; EBook #14852), New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, published 1 February 2005 (Project Gutenberg version), OCLC 24962326:

     “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; and she looked it, always trim and trig and smooth of surface like a converted yacht cleared for action. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, […].

4. A housekeeper, especially, a woman who manages the domestic economy of a public institution.
5. A senior female nurse in an establishment, especially a hospital or school.

   the matron of a school or hospital

6. (US) A female prison officer.

References

matron in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• Morant, Rotman, romant