matriz

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin mātrīcem (“dam; womb”), from māter (“mother”), from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr (“mother”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈtɾis/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈtɾis/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /maˈtɾiʃ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐˈtɾiʃ/

• Hyphenation: ma‧triz

Noun

matriz f (plural matrizes)

1. source; origin; mother
2. (mathematics) matrix (rectangular arrangement of numbers)
3. (computing) matrix (two-dimensional array)
4. head office

   Antonym: filial

5. (anatomy) womb; uterus
6. mould (hollow form for shaping fluid)
7. engraved block of wood or medal used in printing
8. stencil (perforated sheet through which ink can be forced)
9. (cytology) extracellular matrix
10. a church which has other churches and chapels under its jurisdiction

Synonyms

• (source; origin): causa, fonte, manancial, origem, princípio
• (two-dimensional array): vetor bidimensional
• (head office): sede
• (womb): madre, útero
• (mould): molde
• (stencil): estêncil
• (extracellular matrix): matriz extracelular
• (church with other churches under its jurisdiction): igreja matriz

Derived terms

• igreja matriz
• Matriz
• matriz cartilaginosa
• matriz de unha
• matriz identidade
• matriz inversa
• matriz óssea
• matriz quadrada
• matriz simétrica
• matriz transposta
• matriz ungueal

Related terms

• matri-
• matricial
• matrizar
• matrizeiro

Further reading

• “matriz”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “matriz”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr

Proto-Italic *mātēr

Latin māter

Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-ih₂

Proto-Indo-European *-trih₂

Proto-Italic *-trīks

Latin -īx

Latin mātrīcembor.

Spanish matriz

Borrowed from Latin mātrīcem, from māter + -īx (“feminine noun ending”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈtɾiθ/ [maˈt̪ɾiθ] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /maˈtɾis/ [maˈt̪ɾis] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -iθ (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• Rhymes: -is (Latin America, Philippines)
• Syllabification: ma‧triz

Noun

matriz f (plural matrices)

1. (anatomy) uterus

   Synonym: útero

2. (business) head office or store

   Synonym: sede

3. (mathematics) matrix
4. (computing) matrix

   Synonym: vector bidimensional

5. (geology) matrix
6. origin, source

   Synonyms: fuente, origen

7. (tools) mold

   Synonym: molde

8. (tools) nut

   Synonym: tuerca

Derived terms

• hierba de la matriz
• lengua matriz
• matriz cuadrada
• matriz diagonal
• matriz extracelular
• matriz identidad
• matriz inversa
• matriz transpuesta

Related terms

• madriguera
• matricial

Further reading

• “matriz”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025