Ma"tron (?), 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.
Your wives, your daughters,
Your matrons, and your maids.
Shak.
Grave from her cradle, insomuch that she was a
matron before she was a mother.
Fuller.
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.
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.