- a flat, coarse fabric made of woven or plaited hemp, straw, rope, rushes, etc., often used as a floor covering
- a piece of this or of corrugated rubber, cocoa fiber, etc., used variously as a doormat, bathmat, or removable floor covering for a car
- a flat piece of cloth, woven straw, etc., put under a vase, dish, or the like, or used as an ornament, as on a table
- a pad, as of rubber or plastic, used to protect the surface of an oven, sink, etc.
- a thickly padded floor covering, esp. one used in a gymnasium for tumbling, wrestling, etc.
- anything densely interwoven or felted, or growing in a thick tangle: a mat of hair
- Naut. a thick web of rope yarn, used to protect rigging from wear
Origin of mat
Middle English matte from Old English meatt from Late Latin matta (from source German matte) from Phoenician word akin to Classical Hebrew (language) mitt?h, a covertransitive verb
mat′ted, mat′ting- to cover with or as with a mat or mats
- to interweave, felt, or tangle together into a thick mass
to be interwoven, felted, or tangled together into a thick mass
mat Idioms
go to the mat
Origin of mat
< matnoun as used in wrestlingInformal to engage willingly in a struggle or dispute, as on another's behalf
