matron
Americannoun
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a married woman, especially one who is mature and staid or dignified and has an established social position.
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a woman who has charge of the domestic affairs of a hospital, prison, or other institution.
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a woman serving as a guard, warden, or attendant for women or girls, as in a prison.
noun
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a married woman regarded as staid or dignified, esp a middle-aged woman with children
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a woman in charge of the domestic or medical arrangements in an institution, such as a boarding school
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a wardress in a prison
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Official name: nursing officer. the former name for the administrative head of the nursing staff in a hospital
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of matron
1350–1400; Middle English matrone < Latin mātrōna a married woman, wife, derivative of māter mother
Explanation
A matron is a dignified, serious-minded married woman. The warden in a women's prison is also called a matron, which may lead you to conclude that the term is often not a glowing compliment. In a wedding, you can have a maid of honor (the bride’s unmarried attendant) or a matron of honor (one who’s married). Matron includes the Latin root mater, "mother" — as in “maternal,” “maternity,” and “matrimony.” You may imagine matrons as gray-haired and stern, like Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and to avoid negative stereotypes, the title matron, for the woman who runs a nursing home or boarding school, is often replaced with the gender-neutral “director.”
Vocabulary lists containing matron
The Mother of All Lists: Mater, Matr
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Bad Boy
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"Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2013, Williams made her Broadway debut in “Chicago” as Matron “Mama” Morton.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 23, 2022
Mr. Braimah, a wiry man who is known at Kissy as the Matron, has worked at the hospital since 1998.
From New York Times • Apr. 11, 2022
She also played Matron "Mama" Morton, making history as the first actress to play all three female principal parts.
From US News • Nov. 17, 2015
Last year, she played Matron “Mama” Morton, making history as the first actress to play all three female principal parts.
From Washington Times • Nov. 20, 2014
The Matron was a large fair-haired woman with a bosom.
From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
