mat

mat

mat¹ [mat]

n.

[ME matte < OE meatt < LL matta (> Ger matte) < Phoen word akin to Heb mittāh, a cover]

1. a flat, coarse fabric made of woven or plaited hemp, straw, rope, rushes, etc., often used as a floor covering

2. a piece of this or of corrugated rubber, cocoa fiber, etc., used variously as a DOORMAT, BATHMAT, or removable floor covering for a car

3.

a) a flat piece of cloth, woven straw, etc., put under a vase, dish, or the like, or used as an ornament, as on a table

b) a pad, as of rubber or plastic, used to protect the surface of an oven, sink, etc.

4. a thickly padded floor covering, esp. one used in a gymnasium for tumbling, wrestling, etc.

5. anything densely interwoven or felted, or growing in a thick tangle [a mat of hair]

6. Naut. a thick web of rope yarn, used to protect rigging from wear

vt.

matted, matting

1. to cover with or as with a mat or mats

2. to interweave, felt, or tangle together into a thick mass

vi.

to be interwoven, felted, or tangled together into a thick mass

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go to the mat [< MAT¹ n. 4 as used in wrestling]

Informal to engage in a struggle or dispute

mat² [mat]

adj.

[Fr < OFr mat, defeated, exhausted, prob. < L mattus, drunk < madidus, soaked, drunk < madere, to be drenched, drunk < IE base * mad-, to be wet, drip, juicy, fat > MAST², MEAT]

MATTE²

n.

[Fr]

1. MATTE²

2. a border, as of cardboard or cloth, put around a picture, either as the frame or, usually, between the picture and the frame

vt.

matted, matting

1. to produce a dull finish on (metal, glass, etc.)

2. to apply a mat to (a picture)

mat³ [mat]

n.

Informal a matrix; printing mold