Matilda Of Flanders was the queen consort of William I the Conqueror, whom she married c. 1053. During William’s absences in England, the duchy of Normandy was under her regency, with the aid of their son, Robert Curthose (see Robert II [Normandy]), except when he was in rebellion against his

Matilda of Canossa was the countess of Tuscany remembered for her role in the conflict between the papacy and the Holy Roman emperor. The climax of this struggle, the confrontation of the emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII in 1077, took place at Matilda’s castle of Canossa. The assassination in

Roald Dahl: Children’s books: … and for the stage in 2010. Its title character is a precocious but neglected young girl with telekinetic powers who uses them to confront the bullying headmistress at her school.

Roald Dahl: Children’s books: …for film in 1996 and 2022 and for the stage in 2010. Its title character is a precocious but neglected young girl with telekinetic powers who uses them to confront the bullying headmistress at her school.

viper: …vipers (genus Atheris), such as Matilda’s horned viper (A. matildae) of Tanzania, are slender, prehensile-tailed, and arboreal. Some species lay eggs; others produce live young.

Portugal: The kingdom and the Reconquista: …through his marriage (1238) to Matilde, daughter of Raynald I, Comte (count) de Dammartin, was granted a papal commission (1245) to take over the government, and Sancho was ordered to be deposed by papal bull. When Afonso reached Lisbon (late 1245 or early 1246), he received the support of the…

Matilda of Canossa was the countess of Tuscany remembered for her role in the conflict between the papacy and the Holy Roman emperor. The climax of this struggle, the confrontation of the emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII in 1077, took place at Matilda’s castle of Canossa. The assassination in

Matilda of Canossa was the countess of Tuscany remembered for her role in the conflict between the papacy and the Holy Roman emperor. The climax of this struggle, the confrontation of the emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII in 1077, took place at Matilda’s castle of Canossa. The assassination in

poppy: Other poppies: …the poppy family include the Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri), with 15-cm (6-inch) fragrant white flowers on a 2.4-metre- (7.9-foot-) tall perennial herbaceous plant native to southwestern North America; the plume poppies, members of the Asian genus Macleaya, grown for their interestingly lobed giant leaves and 2-metre- (6.6-foot-) tall flower spikes;…

Georges Clemenceau: Early life: …he started a new paper, Le Matin (“Morning”), which was in turn seized by the authorities.

Jean Sénac: … (1957; “The Sun Under Arms”), Matinale de mon peuple (1961; “Matinal of My People”), and later collections.

William Castle: Legacy: The comedy Matinee (1993) paid tribute to the director, with John Goodman capturing Castle’s larger-than-life persona as a cigar-chomping film promoter who was half huckster, half savant. The movie was set in Florida during the Cuban missile crisis—Castle’s heyday and a fittingly scary time.

animal behaviour: Sensory-motor mechanisms: …when these fish defend their mating territories in the springtime against intrusions from rival male sticklebacks. The males differ from all other objects and forms of life in their environment in a special way: they possess an intensely red throat and belly, which serve as signals to females and other…

Lewis Nkosi: His first novel, Mating Birds (1983), brought Nkosi to the attention of a wider audience for its subtle examination of an interracial affair.

frog and toad: Breeding behaviour: In all cases, the mating call produced by the male attracts females to the breeding site. It has been observed in the field and in the laboratory that the females can discriminate between mating calls of their own species and those of other species. At a communal breeding site,…

evolution: Kin selection and reciprocal altruism: …is to engage in the nuptial flight during which one of them fertilizes a new queen. Other eggs laid by queen bees are fertilized and develop into females, the large majority of which are workers. Some social insects, such as the stingless Meliponinae bees, with hundreds of species across the…

Debbie Reynolds: …and the Bachelor (1957); and The Mating Game (1959). Reynolds reached the height of her popularity in the late 1950s, during which time she was involved in a scandalous divorce from Fisher, who left her for actress Elizabeth Taylor.

fallow deer: The rutting buck waves its antlers conspicuously toward the female that it follows in courtship, and it vocalizes loudly with each dip of the antlers. The buck’s conspicuous Adam’s apple slides up and down the throat with each bark. Rutting bucks form small breeding territories on…

Mitchell Leisen: Films of the 1950s and ’60s: In the second, The Mating Season (1951), a tart comedy (coscripted by Bracken) grounded in American class distinctions, Thelma Ritter earned an Academy Award nomination for best actress. Leisen’s last film for Paramount was Darling, How Could You! (1951). Thereafter he directed films as a freelancer and became…

divine office: Matins, the lengthiest, originally said at a night hour, is now appropriately said at any hour of the day. Lauds and vespers are the solemn morning and evening prayers of the church. Terce, sext, and none correspond to the mid-morning, noon, and mid-afternoon hours.

A.S. Byatt: …Sugar, and Other Stories (1987), The Matisse Stories (1993), and Elementals: Stories of Fire and Ice (1998); the career-spanning Medusa’s Ankles was published in 2021. She was also the author of Passions of the Mind (1991), a collection of essays, and Angels & Insects (1991; film 1995), a pair of…

Henri Matisse was an artist often regarded as the most important French painter of the 20th century. He was the leader of the Fauvist movement about 1900, and he pursued the expressiveness of color throughout his career. His subjects were largely domestic or figurative, and a distinct Mediterranean

Henri Matisse was an artist often regarded as the most important French painter of the 20th century. He was the leader of the Fauvist movement about 1900, and he pursued the expressiveness of color throughout his career. His subjects were largely domestic or figurative, and a distinct Mediterranean

Karel Čapek: …noble pacifist; and Matka (1938; The Mother) vindicated armed resistance to barbaric invasion.

Alois Hába: His opera Matka (The Mother), first performed in 1931, was his crowning achievement; in it he uses nonthematic constructions characteristic of his work as a whole. Such music makes as little use as possible of repetition and variation of distinct melodies and themes. Another athematic opera, Thy Kingdom…

numerical analysis: Computer software: …known of these PSEs is MATLAB, a commercial package that is arguably the most popular way to do numerical computing. Two popular computer programs for handling algebraic-analytic mathematics (manipulating and displaying formulas) are Maple and Mathematica.

Cape Coral: Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge and the state’s Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve encompass the strait and surrounding shorelines. Pop. (2010) 154,305; Fort Myers–Cape Coral Metro Area, 618,754; (2020) 194,016; Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metro Area, 760,822.

Chalchiuhtlicue, Aztec goddess of rivers, lakes, streams, and other freshwaters. Wife (in some myths, sister) of the rain god Tlaloc, in Aztec cosmology she ruled over the fourth of the previous suns; in her reign, maize (corn) was first used. Like other water deities, she was often associated with

Tlaxcala: …metres) against the backdrop of La Malinche (Matlalcueyetl) volcano, which rises to an elevation 14,636 feet (4,461 metres) within a national park southeast of the capital. The state occupies roughly the same area as did a pre-Hispanic federation that refused to surrender to the Aztecs. Many Indians in the region…

Marlee Matlin is an American actress and activist who was the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award, for best actress for her debut film performance, in Children of a Lesser God (1986). She is also known for seeking greater representation of the hearing impaired and others with disabilities

Marlee Matlin is an American actress and activist who was the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award, for best actress for her debut film performance, in Children of a Lesser God (1986). She is also known for seeking greater representation of the hearing impaired and others with disabilities

Andy Griffith: …attorney in the dramatic series Matlock (1986–95).

Matlock, town, Derbyshire Dales district, administrative and historic county of Derbyshire, central England. It consists of a group of settlements extending along the River Derwent. Matlock is noted for its beautiful valleys and rugged hills. Between Cromford (site of Sir Richard Arkwright’s first

Kathy Bates: Television: …role in the legal series Matlock (2024– ), playing a 75-year-old lawyer who returns to her career after some three decades. However, her motivations are not what they initially seem.

the Sex Pistols: …20, 1956, London), and bassist Glen Matlock (b. August 27, 1956, London). A later member was bassist Sid Vicious (byname of John Simon Ritchie; b. May 10, 1957, London—d. February 2, 1979, New York, New York, U.S.).

Gabès: …the settlements of Matmata (Maṭmāṭah), which is the home of Amazigh (Berber) olive growers, Al-Ḥāmmah (El-Hamma), which is a trading centre of the Beni Zid nomads, and several other important oases. Pop. (2004) town, 116,323.

Gabès: …the settlements of Matmata (Maṭmāṭah), which is the home of Amazigh (Berber) olive growers, Al-Ḥāmmah (El-Hamma), which is a trading centre of the Beni Zid nomads, and several other important oases. Pop. (2004) town, 116,323.

Haim Naḥman Bialik: …his first long poem, “Ha-matmid” (“The Diligent Talmud Student”), in the periodical Ha-shiloaḥ (edited by Aḥad Haʿam) established his reputation as the outstanding Hebrew poet of his time. The poem is a sympathetic portrait of a student whose single-minded dedication to Talmudic study is awe-inspiring, even saintly.

Arabic literature: Belles lettres and narrative prose: …was then followed by the matn (“backbone,” or the content of the report). As the community of Muslims set itself to record not only the Qurʾān itself but the deeds and sayings of Muhammad, reports of this kind were collected, categorized, and sifted, thus initiating a vast exercise in history,…

Mato Grosso, inland estado (state) of central Brazil. It is bounded on the northwest by the states of Rondônia and Amazonas, on the northeast by Pará, on the east by Tocantins and Goiás, on the south by Mato Grosso do Sul, and on the southwest and west by Bolivia. Mato Grosso, whose name means

Jundiaí, city, in the highlands of southern São Paulo estado (state), Brazil. It lies at 2,460 feet (750 metres) above sea level along the Jundiaí River. Formerly called Porta do Sertão, Mato Grosso de Jundiaí, and Vila Formosa de Nossa Senhora do Destêrro de Jundiaí, it was given town status and

Mato Grosso do Sul, inland estado (state) of southwestern Brazil. It is bounded on the north by the state of Mato Grosso, on the northeast by the state of Goiás, on the east by Minas Gerais and São Paulo, on the southeast by Paraná, and on the west and south by Bolivia and Paraguay. The state

Mato Grosso Plateau, part of the Brazilian Highlands of inland Brazil. It is an ancient erosional plateau that occupies much of central Mato Grosso estado (state) and extends from the border of Goiás state westward to the Parecis Mountains, which lie near the Bolivian border. In the south it gives

Pocahontas was a Powhatan woman who fostered peace between English colonists and Native Americans by befriending the settlers at the Jamestown Colony in Virginia and eventually marrying one of them. Among her several native names, the one best known to the English was Pocahontas (translated at the

Matopo Hills, mass of granite hills, southeast of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, formed by river erosion and weathered into fantastic shapes and deep valleys. The hills are associated with folklore and tradition, some being venerated as dwelling places of the spirits of departed Ndebele chiefs. The hills

fern: Annotated classification: …indusium-like structure; 2 genera (Matonia and Phanerosorus) with 4 species, distributed in the Paleotropics. Order Schizaeales Family Schizaeaceae Leaves more or less grasslike, with a long petiole and a linear or fan-shaped blade; veins dichotomously

Matoniaceae, family of ferns dating from the Mesozoic Era (roughly 251 million to 65.5 million years ago) and distinguished by an umbrella-shaped membranous covering over clusters (sori) of spore-bearing structures (sporangia). The leaves are fan-shaped and lobed in narrow segments or have long

Changamire Dynasty: …was a lowly son of Matope, the ruler of the Mbire (or Monomotapa) empire, who appointed him governor of its central and southern provinces. He declared his independence of Matope’s successor and founded a kingdom that he called Rozwi. He established trade contacts with Arab traders, and his son (Changamire…

Matopo Hills, mass of granite hills, southeast of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, formed by river erosion and weathered into fantastic shapes and deep valleys. The hills are associated with folklore and tradition, some being venerated as dwelling places of the spirits of departed Ndebele chiefs. The hills

Matopo Hills, mass of granite hills, southeast of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, formed by river erosion and weathered into fantastic shapes and deep valleys. The hills are associated with folklore and tradition, some being venerated as dwelling places of the spirits of departed Ndebele chiefs. The hills

chaparral, scrubland plant communities composed of broad-leaved evergreen shrubs, bushes, and small trees usually less than 2.5 metres (about 8 feet) tall—the characteristic vegetation of coastal and inland mountain areas of southwestern North America. Chaparral is largely found in regions of

Portugal: Vegetation: scrublands—called maquis and matorral, or steppe. Mixed deciduous trees are confined to the north and northern interior, where the landscapes of the Minho are lush and green except for the heaths (mato) of the Cambrian schists. These carry erica, heather, cistus, and bracken. The original oak climax (with…

Gregório de Matos Guerra was a poet who was the most colourful figure in early Brazilian literature. He was called the Brazilian Villon. Born into the slave-owning gentry, Matos studied law at Coimbra, Port., and advanced to a high position in Lisbon until he fell into disfavour for using his

Croatian literature: …until World War I was Antun Gustav Matoš. He edited the anthology Mlada hrvatska lirika (1914; “The Young Croatian Lyric”), which marked the zenith of such verse. Between the wars, avant-garde poetry continued to be expressed in the verse of poets such as Tin Ujević and Antun Branko Šimić, while…

Luis Palés Matos was a Puerto Rican lyric poet who enriched the vocabulary of Spanish poetry with words, themes, and rhythms of African and Afro-American folklore and dance. Palés Matos wrote his first poetry, which was collected in Azaleas (1915), in imitation of the fashionable modernist trends,

Airbus: Aerospatiale Matra: Matra (Mécanique Aviation Traction), Aerospatiale Matra’s other line of heritage, was founded in 1945. In 1951 a Matra-built aircraft was the first in Europe to break the sound barrier, and in the 1960s the company emerged as a prime European contractor for satellites. In 1990…

Udasi: …the Udasi movement is the Matra (“Discipline”), a hymn of 78 verses attributed to Srichand. The Matra emphasizes the need for spiritual elevation, to be attained by living a life of celibacy and detachment from the world. The Udasis wear their hair matted and have the icon of Srichand as…

Mátra Mountains, the highest range in northern Hungary, and part of the region’s central highland belt. The range’s maximum elevation is reached at Mount Kékes (3,327 feet [1,014 m]). The Mátra is a sharply defined volcanic mass consisting in large part of lava and measuring approximately 25 miles

Maṭraḥ, town in Oman, on the Gulf of Oman coast, just west of Muscat. Maṭraḥ has traditionally been the country’s chief commercial centre and port. Port Qābūs, the town’s new port facilities, were completed during the 1970s. Port al-Faḥl, 3 miles (5 km) to the west, is Oman’s oil terminal and is

Mater Matuta: …of the Mater Matuta (the Matralia) was held on June 11 and was marked by several unusual customs—among them that only free women in their first marriage might take part and that their prayers were not for their own children but for those of their sisters. The goddess was later…

Faroese literature: Development during the 20th century: The other three authors—Christian Matras, Heðin Brú (Hans Jakob Jacobsen), and Martin Joensen—wrote in Faroese. The works of Matras reveal a profound lyric poet seeking to interpret the essence of Faroese culture. A fine stylist, Brú did much to create a Faroese literary prose in his portrayals of…

writing: Alphabetic systems: …scripts, such as Hebrew, added matres lectionis, literally “mothers of reading,” a pointing system to distinguish the vowel sounds. These were used especially for preserving the precise reading of sacred texts. To this day they are used in books written to be read by beginning readers and in poetry and…

Witi Ihimaera: The Matriarch (1986) and its sequel, The Dream Swimmer (1997), investigate the ramifications of European colonization of New Zealand over several generations of a Māori family. In The Whale Rider (1987; film 2002), the dynamics of Māori society are examined through the eyes of a…

katydid: Physical characteristics: An exception is the predatory bush cricket (Saga pedo; also called the matriarchal katydid), the body of which can grow to about 12 cm (4.7 inches) in length. Although many species are bright green, various color morphs, including pink and yellow, occur naturally and have been reared in captivity.

matriarchy, hypothetical social system in which the mother or a female elder has absolute authority over the family group; by extension, one or more women (as in a council) exert a similar level of authority over the community as a whole. Under the influence of Charles Darwin’s theories of

chamomile: …Roman, chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) or German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla). Several species are cultivated as garden ornamentals, especially golden marguerite, or yellow chamomile (Cota tinctoria).

matrilineal society, group adhering to a kinship system in which ancestral descent is traced through maternal instead of paternal lines (the latter being termed patrilineage or patriliny). Every society incorporates some basic components in its system of reckoning kinship: family, marriage,

matrilineal society, group adhering to a kinship system in which ancestral descent is traced through maternal instead of paternal lines (the latter being termed patrilineage or patriliny). Every society incorporates some basic components in its system of reckoning kinship: family, marriage,

matrilineal society, group adhering to a kinship system in which ancestral descent is traced through maternal instead of paternal lines (the latter being termed patrilineage or patriliny). Every society incorporates some basic components in its system of reckoning kinship: family, marriage,

matrilineal society, group adhering to a kinship system in which ancestral descent is traced through maternal instead of paternal lines (the latter being termed patrilineage or patriliny). Every society incorporates some basic components in its system of reckoning kinship: family, marriage,

South American nomad: Composite bands: …other hand, were matrilineal and matrilocal—that is, an individual traced his ancestry through his mother’s lineage, and a man went to live with his wife’s band. Matrilineal descent and matrilocal residence were associated with the importance of women gathering food.

moiety system: …worldwide basis, matrilineal moieties (matrimoieties), which trace kinship through the female line, are far more common than patrilineal moieties (patrimoieties). Matrimoieties are generally found in association with smaller kin groups, such as lineages and clans. In all cases—whether the moieties are exogamous or not, unilineal or not, or aligned…

community property, legal treatment of the possessions of married people as belonging to both of them. Generally, all property acquired through the efforts of either spouse during the marriage is considered community property. The law treats this property like the assets of a business partnership.

Marriage, Italian Style, Italian romantic comedy film, released in 1964, that was directed by Vittorio De Sica and based on a play by Eduardo De Filippo. It established Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni as one of the most popular screen couples in international film. Loren portrayed Filumena

Domenico Cimarosa: …masterpiece, Il matrimonio segreto (The Secret Marriage), one of the highest achievements in comic opera and the work upon which his reputation rests. In 1793 he returned to Italy, where Il matrimonio segreto and many others of his works were enthusiastically received. New works of this period included Le…

marriage, a legally and socially sanctioned union that is regulated by laws, rules, customs, beliefs, and attitudes that prescribe the rights and duties of the partners and accords status to their offspring (if any). The universality of marriage within different societies and cultures is attributed

cell: The extracellular matrix: …types of protein in the matrix are structural proteins and adhesive proteins.

printing: Metallographic printing (1430?): …a single die; sinking the matrix and casting the lead were rapid operations; the lead had better durability than wood; and by casting several plates from the same matrix the number of copies printed could be rapidly increased.

matrix, a set of numbers arranged in rows and columns so as to form a rectangular array. The numbers are called the elements, or entries, of the matrix. Matrices have wide applications in engineering, physics, economics, and statistics as well as in various branches of mathematics. Matrices also

composite material: …one substance in a host matrix of another. While the structural value of a bundle of fibres is low, the strength of individual fibres can be harnessed if they are embedded in a matrix that acts as an adhesive, binding the fibres together and lending solidity to the material. The…

matrix, in geology, the material in which something is embedded, either the natural rock that holds crystals, fossils, pebbles, mineral veins, and the like, or the fine-grained materials that surround larger grains in a rock—e.g., silt and clay particles in a sandstone or tiny crystals in a

die, tool or device for imparting a desired shape, form, or finish to a material. Examples include a perforated block through which metal or plastic is drawn or extruded, the hardened steel forms for producing the patterns on coins and medals by pressure, and the hollow molds into which metal or

matrix: …important mathematical systems known as matrix algebras.

spectroscopy: Sputter atomization: …host material (known as the matrix effect). Ion sputtering, in contrast to thermal atomization, can be turned on or off in short pulses; for this reason, good temporal overlap with the RIS beams is achievable. This feature allows better use of small samples.

game theory: Classification of games: …is represented by a payoff matrix, wherein each row describes the strategy of one player and each column describes the strategy of the other player. The matrix entry at the intersection of each row and column gives the outcome of each player choosing the corresponding strategy. The payoffs to each…

quantum mechanics: Basic concepts and methods: …papers took two approaches: (1) matrix mechanics, proposed by Werner Heisenberg, Max Born, and Pascual Jordan, and (2) wave mechanics, put forward by Erwin Schrödinger. The protagonists were not always polite to each other. Heisenberg found the physical ideas of Schrödinger’s theory “disgusting,” and Schrödinger was “discouraged and repelled” by…

matrix organization, a system characterized by a form of management with multiple chains of command. Unlike a traditional hierarchy in which each worker has one supervisor, a matrix system requires employees to report to two or more managers, each responsible for a different aspect of the

Laurence Fishburne: Film roles: …for two sequels in 2003, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Another installment, The Matrix Resurrections, was released in 2021.

plastic: Fibreglass: …and then coated with the matrix resin. When the matrix resin is converted into a network, the strength in the hoop direction is very great (being essentially that of the glass fibres). Epoxies are most often used as matrix resins, because of their good adhesion to glass fibres, although water…

Priyanka Chopra Jonas: International fame: … (2021), the science fiction film The Matrix Resurrections (2021), the romantic drama Love Again (2023), the comedy Heads of State (2025), and the thriller The Bluff (2026).

Laurence Fishburne: Film roles: …2003, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Another installment, The Matrix Resurrections, was released in 2021.

matrix, a set of numbers arranged in rows and columns so as to form a rectangular array. The numbers are called the elements, or entries, of the matrix. Matrices have wide applications in engineering, physics, economics, and statistics as well as in various branches of mathematics. Matrices also

conglomerate: …produces poorly sorted conglomerates or diamictites (larger nonsorted conglomerates).

Matronalia, in Roman religion, ancient festival of Juno, the birth goddess, celebrated annually by Roman matrons on March 1; on that date in 375 bc a temple was dedicated to Juno. According to tradition, the cult was established by Titus Tatius, king of the Sabines. The Matronalia symbolized not

Matronalia, in Roman religion, ancient festival of Juno, the birth goddess, celebrated annually by Roman matrons on March 1; on that date in 375 bc a temple was dedicated to Juno. According to tradition, the cult was established by Titus Tatius, king of the Sabines. The Matronalia symbolized not

Vishal Bhardwaj: Other films: …drunk businessman Harry Mandola in Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2013; “Matru’s Bijlee’s Mandola”), with Anushka Sharma as his daughter, Bijlee, and Imran Khan as the idealistic Matru who wins Bijlee’s heart. Rangoon (2017), set during World War II, features Shahid Kapoor as Nawab Malik, a soldier in Subhas Chandra…

Maṭrūḥ, desert muḥāfaẓah (governorate) of Egypt that includes all of Egypt west of Al-Jīzah governorate and north of latitude 26°20′ N. Only 1 percent of its area is inhabited. It is mostly a plateau area of sedimentary rock such as limestone, averaging 700–800 feet (215–245 metres) in elevation

Abramtsevo: artists—particularly Sergey Malyutin—crafted the first matryoshka doll (a wooden nesting doll) in 1890. Matryoshkas were then exhibited by Abramtsevo artists at the 1900 world’s fair in Paris, and they continued to be iconic of Russian culture into the 21st century.

South Africa: Black literature: Such writers as Oliver Kgadime Matsepe (North Sotho), Thomas Mofolo (South Sotho), Guybon Sinxo (Xhosa), and B.W. Vilakazi (Zulu) have been more deeply influenced in their written work by the oral traditions of their cultures than by European forms. Other Black writers, beginning in the 1930s with

Gazankulu, former nonindependent Bantustan, northeastern Transvaal, South Africa, designated for the Shangaan and Tsonga people. It was made up of four detached portions of low veld, two of which adjoined Kruger National Park. The Tsonga people, the traditional inhabitants of the area, were joined