matte
matte Lexical Profile
matte Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having a dull, smooth surface without luster, shine, or gloss.
"We chose a matte paint for the living room walls to prevent glare from the afternoon sun."
• noun
A dull, non-reflective surface, finish, or coating, as on paint, paper, metal, or cosmetics.
"The photographer printed the portraits in a soft matte rather than a high gloss."
A mask, painted backdrop, or digital overlay used in filmmaking and photography to block out part of an image so that another visual element can be composited into the scene.
"Before modern computer graphics, visual effects artists painted detailed glass mattes to create expansive castle backgrounds."
An impure mixture of molten metal sulfides formed as an intermediate product during the smelting of copper, nickel, or lead ores.
"The furnace separates the heavier copper matte from the lighter waste slag above it."
• verb
To give a dull, non-reflective finish to a surface such as glass, metal, or paint.
"The artisan used acid to matte the surface of the glass vase."
To mask or composite an image in filmmaking or photography using a matte.
"The editor was able to matte the actors seamlessly into the historical street scene."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse "matte" (having a dull, non-reflective finish, also spelled "matt" in British English) with its homophone "mat" (a flat piece of material placed on a floor or a tangled mass of hair).
• Rhymes for matte
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from French "mat" (feminine "matte"), meaning dull or subdued, which traces back via Old French to Late Latin "mattus" (stupefied or dejected) and was reinforced by Arabic "mat" (dead or helpless, as in chess checkmate).