matron

Meaning

Noun

• A mature or elderly woman.
• A wife or a widow, especially, one who has borne children.
• A woman of staid or motherly manners.
• A housekeeper, especially, a woman who manages the domestic economy of a public institution.
• A senior female nurse in an establishment, especially a hospital or school.
• A female prison officer.

Origin

• From Middle English matrone, from Old French matrone, from Latin mātrōna ("married woman"), from māter. matrona.