something that constitutes the place or point from which something else originates, takes form, or develops

The Greco-Roman world was the matrix for Western civilization.

Anatomy . a formative part, as the corium beneath a nail.

Biology .

the intercellular substance of a tissue.

ground substance.

Petrology . the fine-grained portion of a rock in which coarser crystals or rock fragments are embedded.

fine material, as cement, in which lumps of coarser material, as of an aggregate, are embedded.

Mining . gangue.

Metallurgy . a crystalline phase in an alloy in which other phases are embedded.

Printing . a mold for casting typefaces.

master ( def. 18 ) .

(in a press or stamping machine) a multiple die or perforated block on which the material to be formed is placed.

Mathematics . a rectangular array of numbers, algebraic symbols, or mathematical functions, esp. when such arrays are added and multiplied according to certain rules.

Linguistics . a rectangular display of features characterizing a set of linguistic items, esp. phonemes, usually presented as a set of columns of plus or minus signs specifying the presence or absence of each feature for each item.

Also called master. a mold made by electroforming from a disk recording, from which other disks may be pressed.

Archaic . the womb.

noun

cast , forge , form , grid , model , mold , origin , pattern , source , womb , die , gangue , groundmass , mat , shape