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mat²

(măt)

1. A decorative border placed around a picture to serve as a frame or provide contrast between the picture and the frame.

2. also matte

a. A dull, often rough finish, as of paint, glass, metal, or paper.

b. A special tool for producing such a surface or finish.

3. Printing See matrix.

tr.v. mat·ted, mat·ting, mats

1. To put a mat around (a picture).

2. To produce a dull finish on.

adj.

Variant of matte¹.

[From French, dull, from Old French, defeated, withered, perhaps from Latin mattus, stupefied, senseless, possibly from *maditus, past participle of madēre, to be wet.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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