matte

¹ American  

[mat] / mæt /

Or mat,

adjective

1. having a dull or lusterless surface.

   matte paint; a matte complexion; a photograph with a matte finish.

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noun

1. a dull or dead surface, often slightly roughened, as on metals, paint, paper, or glass.

2. a tool for producing such a surface.

3. Metallurgy. an unfinished metallic product of the smelting of certain sulfide ores, especially those of copper.

4. Movies. matte shot.

verb (used with object)

matted, matting

1. to finish with a matte surface.

matte ² American  

[mat] / mæt /

noun

Mining.

1. a mass of timber caved beneath overburden so as to cushion the fall of the overburden and separate it from mineral to be extracted beneath.

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matte ¹ British  

/ mæt /

noun

1. an impure fused material consisting of metal sulphides produced during the smelting of a sulphide ore

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matte ² British  

/ mæt /

noun

1. films television a mask used to blank out part of an image so that another image can be superimposed

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Etymology

Origin of matte¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from French mat (masculine), matte (feminine), Old French, from Late Latin mattus “moist, soft, weak,” perhaps from unattested maditus, derivative of Latin madēre “to be wet”

Origin of matte²

< German; akin to mat ¹

Example Sentences

In one project, the couple saved several hundred dollars by spray-painting existing light fixtures matte black rather than replacing them.

From The Wall Street Journal

The three collaborated on the matte black, three-story binoculars, clad in black rubberized paint.

From Los Angeles Times

I’ll load a basket with waxy yellow potatoes still matte with soil, dark cherry preserves, that last jar of golden pickled beets.

From Salon

Lay’s is redoing the bags too, ditching the crinkly sheen for a heavier, matte finish emblazoned with pictures of potatoes and chips.

From The Wall Street Journal

Thanks to a melange of practical effects, matte paintings, miniatures, models and costly, groundbreaking special effects, Donner achieved a superhero movie that looks unlike anything made in the decades since.

From Salon

Related Words

• cloudy
• cold
• dark
• dim
• dismal
• flat
• hazy
• lifeless
• muddy
• muted
• obscure
• soft
• somber
• subdued