Mat
Pronunciation
- UK enPR: măt, IPA: /mæt/
- US enPR: măt, IPA: /mæt/, mæʔ(t̚)
- Homophones: Matt, matte
- Rhymes: -æt
Origin 1
Old English matte, from Late Latin matta, from Punic or Phoenician (compare Hebrew מיטה
מִטָּה (mitá, "bed, couch")).
Full definition of mat
Noun
mat
(plural mats)- A flat piece of coarse material used for wiping one’s feet, or as a decorative or protective floor covering.Wipe your feet on the mat before coming in.
- A small flat piece of material used to protect a surface from anything hot or rough; a coaster.They put mats on the table during mealtimes.
- (athletics) A floor pad to protect athletes.The high jumper cleared the bar and landed safely on the mat.
- A thickly tangled mess.a mat of hair; a mat of weeds
- A thick paper or paperboard border used to inset and center the contents of a frame.the mat of a daguerreotype
- A thin layer of woven, non-woven, or knitted fiber that serves as reinforcement to a material.
- (gaming) A material or component needed for a crafting recipeTo make a luck potion, you need several rare herbs as mats.
Derived terms
Verb
- (transitive) To cover, protect or decorate with mats.
- (intransitive) To form a thick, tangled mess; to interweave into, or like, a mat; to entangle.
- DrydenAnd o'er his eyebrows hung his matted hair.
Origin 2
Compare matte.
Alternative forms
Noun
mat
- (coppersmithing) An alloy of copper, tin, iron, etc.; white metal.