mat1
¦ noun
1. a thick piece of material placed on the floor and used as protection from dirt, for wiping the feet on, or as a decorative rug.
a piece of resilient material for landing on in gymnastics, wrestling, or similar sports.
2. a small piece of cork, card, or similar material placed on a surface to protect it from the heat or moisture of an object placed on it.
(also mouse mat) Brit. a small piece of rigid or resilient material on which a computer mouse is moved.
3. a thick, untidy layer of hairy or woolly material.
¦ verb (mats, matting, matted) [usu. as adjective matted] tangle in a thick mass: matted hair.
Phrases
on the mat informal being reprimanded by someone in authority. [with military reference, in which an accused would stand on the orderly room mat.]
Origin
OE m(e)att(e), of W. Gmc origin.
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mat2
¦
noun short for
matrix (in sense 2).
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mat3
¦
noun US spelling of
matt.