[ˈmeɪtrɪks], (Noun)

Definitions:
- the cultural, social, or political environment in which something develops
(e.g: Oxbridge was the matrix of the ideology)

- a mass of fine-grained rock in which gems, crystals, or fossils are embedded
(e.g: nodules of secondary limestone set in a matrix of porous dolomite)

- a mould in which something, such as a record or printing type, is cast or shaped
(e.g: her two duets with Isobel Baillie were never issued and the matrices were destroyed)

- a rectangular array of quantities or expressions in rows and columns that is treated as a single entity and manipulated according to particular rules
(e.g: this formula applies for all square matrices)

- an organizational structure in which two or more lines of command, responsibility, or communication may run through the same individual
(e.g: matrix structures are said to foster greater flexibility)


Phrases:

Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘womb’): from Latin, ‘breeding female’, later ‘womb’, from mater, matr- ‘mother’