matri-

American  

especially before a vowel, matro-;

1. a combining form meaning “mother,” used in the formation of compound words.

   matrilineal.

---

matri- British  

combining form

1. mother or motherhood

   matriarchy

---

Usage

What does matri- mean? The combining form matri- is used like a prefix meaning “mother.” It is used in a variety of everyday and scientific terms, especially in anthropology.The form matri- comes from Latin māter, meaning “mother.” The word matrix, which has various meanings, including "womb," comes from this same Latin root, as does matron, "a married woman."The “father” counterpart to matri- is patri-. Check out our Words That Use article for patri- to learn more.The Greek cognate of Latin māter is mḗtēr, also meaning “mother,” which is the source of words such as metropolis, a term that literally means “mother city.” Find out more at our entries for matrix, matron, and metropolis.What are variants of matri-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, matri- becomes matr-, as in matral. Another rare variant of matri- is matro-, as in matrocliny. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for each of these forms.

Etymology

Origin of matri-

< Latin, combining form of māter mother ¹

Example Sentences

According to the club, Bain potentially began as "an elevator boy" and eventually worked his way up to Club's Matri d'.

From Salon

Claud Adjapong broke the deadlock in the 59th minute with his second league goal and substitute Alessandro Matri made it 2-0 with his 91st strike in Serie A.

From Washington Times

The 34-year-old Matri came on for his first appearance of the season, with three minutes remaining, and also had time to hit the post.

From Washington Times

Forward Alessandro Matri joined the club from AC Milan and will share the scoring duties with 22-year-old Domenico Berardi, who was signed from Juventus and is considered one of Italy’s best young strikers.

From Washington Times

Alessandro Matri, Stefano Mauri and Felipe Anderson had put Lazio ahead 3-0 before Leandro Greco and Luca Toni brought Verona back within one entering the final 10 minutes.

From Washington Times