Matrix

n. environment in which something develops; formative tissue; form, mold; rectangular array of numerals; soft rock in which harder rocks are embedded; cartilage; (Internet) supersystem that includes all the networks and computers that transfer electron

Matrix, an originally Latin word now taken into numerous languages, is derived from "mater" (mother). In the time of the Roman Empire it referred to an aqueduct with multiple branches serving many cities, and thus figuratively a "mother" feeding many "children" (for example, the Aqua Augusta which provided water to eight cities in Campania).
See more at Wikipedia.org...

The Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange Program, also known by the acronym "MATRIX", was a federally funded data mining system originally developed for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement described as a tool to identify terrorist subjects.The system was reported to analyze government and commercial databases to find associations between suspects or to discover locations of or completely new "suspects". The database and technologies used in the system were housed by Seisint, a Florida-based company since acquired by Lexis Nexis.The Matrix program was shut down in June 2005 after federal funding was cut in the wake of public concerns over privacy and state surveillance.
See more at Wikipedia.org...

Noun
1. a rectangular array of elements (or entries) set out by rows and columns
(hypernym) array
(hyponym) correlation matrix
2. an enclosure within which something originates or develops (from the Latin for womb)
(hypernym) enclosure, natural enclosure
3. the body substance in which tissue cells are embedded
(synonym) intercellular substance, ground substance
(hypernym) body substance
(part-holonym) bone, os
4. the formative tissue at the base of a nail
(hypernym) animal tissue
(part-holonym) nail
5. mold used in the production of phonograph records, type, or other relief surface
(hypernym) mold, mould, cast

n. matrix, table of mathematical elements treated as one entity (Mathematics); soft rock in which harder rocks are embedded (Geology)

n. matrix