matron
[ mey-truh n ]
/ ˈmeɪ trən /
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.
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Origin of matron
1350–1400; Middle English matrone < Latin mātrōna a married woman, wife, derivative of māter mother
Related formsma·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
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 Formsmatronal, 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
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Word Origin and History for matron
matron
late 14c., "married woman" (usually one of rank), from Old French matrone "married woman; elderly lady; patroness; midwife," and directly from Latin matrona "married woman, wife, matron," from mater (genitive matris) "mother" (see mother (n.1)). Sense of "female manager of a school, hospital, etc." first recorded 1550s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper