The root matr means “mother.” As you will soon see, this root really matters when it comes to English vocabulary!
Have you ever visited the maternity ward at a hospital? This is for new “mothers” who are experiencing "mother"hood with a newly born infant. When an infant is born, maternal or “motherly” feelings come to the forefront. Maternity and maternal feelings are often not far from matrimony, the state of being married or the marriage itself after which women often decide to become “mothers” in order to raise a family.
A material or materials are the “mothers” from which things can be built or made. This is similar to the word matter, the “mother” of or building blocks from which all materials in the physical world arise; as a “mother” gives material shape to her children, so too does matter give shape to the things of the world. A matrix is the “mother” or womb from which things develop or originate; in the film The Matrix, machines are the creators or “mothers” of a simulated reality that takes advantage of humans. A matrix is more commonly a “mother” of sorts from which things develop or originate.
A matriarch is a “mother” who rules a society or group. A matron, on the other hand, is a mature married woman of a secure societal position who is usually a “mother.” And last but not least, when you matriculate into a school, that school becomes your “mother,” just like a “mother” nourishes, cares for, and educates her children.
Now that we have learned plenty of material on what matters about “mother,” go and thank your own “mother” for taking such good care of you!
- maternity: "mother"hood
- maternal: of a “mother”
- matrimony: state of marriage conducive to becoming a “mother”
- material: the “mother” of construction
- matter: the “mother” of all material
- matrix: a “mother” from which things arise
- matriarch: a ruler who is a “mother”
- matron: dignified “mother”
- matriculate: to enter into a school which cares for you like a “mother” would