\Ma"tron\, n. [F. matrone, L. matrona, fr. mater mother.
See {Mother}.]
1. A wife or a widow, especially, one who has borne children;
   a woman of staid or motherly manners.
         Your wives, your daughters, Your matrons, and your
         maids.                                --Shak.
         Grave from her cradle, insomuch that she was a
         matron before she was a mother.       --Fuller.
2. A housekeeper; esp., a woman who manages the domestic
   economy of a public instution; a head nurse in a hospital;
   as, the matron of a school or hospital.
{Jury of matrons} (Law), a jury of experienced women called
   to determine the question of pregnancy when set up in bar
   of execution, and for other cognate purposes.