matron

[ mey-truh n ]

/ ˈmeɪ trən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR matron ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a married woman, especially one who is mature and staid or dignified and has an established social position.

a woman who has charge of the domestic affairs of a hospital, prison, or other institution.

a woman serving as a guard, warden, or attendant for women or girls, as in a prison.

Words related to matron

dowager, housekeeper, matriarch, biddy, administrator, superintendent, wife, mother, lady, dame, housemother

Words nearby matron

matrix unguis, matrixing, matro-, matroclinous, matrocliny, matron, matron of honor, matron of honour, matronage, matronalia, matronize

Origin of matron

1350–1400; Middle English matrone < Latin mātrōna a married woman, wife, derivative of māter mother

OTHER WORDS FROM matron

ma·tron·al

[mey-truh-nl, ma-] /ˈmeɪ trə nl, ˈmæ-/, adjectivema·tron·hood, ma·tron·ship, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for matron

Ted Lindsay, Reggie Sinclair, and Marty Pavelich of the Red Wings, were ushers, and Ted's wife, Pat, was matron of honor.
Gordie Howe Hockey’s Greatest War Horse|W.C. Heinz|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He asked why it was that Saldanha "was placed in a position in a matron office to be receiving calls from outside agencies".
Kate Suicide Nurse's Family Tell of "Terrible Grief"|Tom Sykes|March 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The matron came in and tried to comfort her, but she would not listen.
The Little Colonel at Boarding-School|Annie Fellows Johnston
Next instant Marian and Maizie had stepped into the room in response to the matron's "Come in."
Jane Allen: Right Guard|Edith Bancroft

She might receive a promise Pg 1803 of protection either from Sulpicia, a matron of such dignified character, or from himself.
The History of Rome, Books 37 to the End|Titus Livius
As she spoke Miss Mackenzie rose and followed the matron and Kate into a sort of kitchen or laundry.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. XXVI., December, 1880.|Various
When the composer died, Katarina, then a matron with a family, took to her bed and saw no one for a week.
Song of the Lark|Willa Cather

British Dictionary definitions for matron

matron

/ (ˈmeɪtrən) /

noun

a married woman regarded as staid or dignified, esp a middle-aged woman with children

a woman in charge of the domestic or medical arrangements in an institution, such as a boarding school

US a wardress in a prison

British the former name for the administrative head of the nursing staff in a hospitalOfficial name: nursing officer

Derived forms of matron

matronal, adjectivematronhood or matronship, nounmatron-like, adjective

Word Origin for matron

C14: via Old French from Latin mātrōna, from māter mother

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012