\Ma"trix\, n.; pl. {Matrices}. [L., fr. mater mother. See
{Mother}, and cf. {Matrice}.]
1. (Anat.) The womb.
         All that openeth the matrix is mine.  --Ex. xxxiv.
                                               19.
2. Hence, that which gives form or origin to anything; as:
   (a) (Mech.) The cavity in which anything is formed, and
       which gives it shape; a die; a mold, as for the face
       of a type.
   (b) (Min.) The earthy or stony substance in which metallic
       ores or crystallized minerals are found; the gangue.
   (c) pl. (Dyeing) The five simple colors, black, white,
       blue, red, and yellow, of which all the rest are
       composed.
3. (Biol.) The lifeless portion of tissue, either animal or
   vegetable, situated between the cells; the intercellular
   substance.
4. (Math.) A rectangular arrangement of symbols in rows and
   columns. The symbols may express quantities or operations.