Pronunciation: mā′triks, mat′riks; mā′tri-sēz, mat′ri-sēz
1. The formative portion of a nail.
2. The intercellular substance of a tissue.
3. A surrounding substance within which something is contained or embedded, the fatty tissue in which blood vessels or lymph nodes lie provides a matrix for these embedded structures.
4. A mold in which anything is cast or swaged; a counterdie; an instrument, plastic material, or metal strip specially shaped for holding and shaping the material used to fill a tooth cavity.
5. A rectangular array of numbers or symbol quantities that simplify the execution of linear operations of tedious complexity, the Ito method; the theory of matrices is widely used in solving simultaneous equations and in population genetics.
6. The support or stationary phase in chromatography or zone electrophoresis.
The definition information for matrix is provided by Stedman's. You can search our medical dictionary here.
Stedman's, part of Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, provides a comprehensive line of health-science publications for healthcare professionals and medical students.