Matrix

The word “Matrix” means a grid of numbers or values arranged in rows and columns, used in mathematics and computing. In plain terms, a structured grid of numbers, or more broadly, the underlying structure or setting something exists within.

Here is “Matrix” used in a sentence: “The software solved the equations by manipulating a large matrix.”

“Matrix” is a noun.

The word “Matrix” dates back to around 1999 and comes from Latin. From Latin mātrix, "breeding animal, womb," from māter, "mother" — the idea of a structure that other things grow or are formed within. The science-fiction sense was popularized by the 1999 film The Matrix.

“Matrix” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Matrix” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a grid of numbers or values arranged in rows and columns, used in mathematics and computing.

Both plurals are accepted, but matrices (pronounced MAY-truh-seez) is the usual choice, especially in mathematics, science, and computing. Matrixes is a legitimate English plural and appears in general writing, yet it remains the rarer form.

A matrix is a grid of numbers or values arranged in rows and columns that is treated as a single mathematical object, so matrices can be added, multiplied, and transformed. A table is simply a way of displaying data for reading; nobody multiplies two tables together.

As an ordinary noun — a grid of values, or the environment in which something develops — matrix is lowercase. Capitalized, the Matrix usually refers to the simulated reality in the science-fiction franchise of that name, which popularized the "artificial reality" sense of the word.