GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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1.       
   Matron (?), n. [F. matrone, L. matrona, fr. mater mother. See Mother.]
   1. A wife or a widow, especially, one who has borne children; a woman of staid or motherly manners.
   
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   Your wives, your daughters,
   
   Your matrons, and your maids. Shak.
   
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   Grave from her cradle, insomuch that she was a matron before she was a mother. Fuller.
   
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   2. A housekeeper; esp., a woman who manages the domestic economy of a public instution; a head nurse in a hospital; as, “the matron of a school or hospital”.
   
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   Jury of matrons (Law), a jury of experienced women called to determine the question of pregnancy when set up in bar of execution, and for other cognate purposes.
   
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