Mā'tron, n.
n. [Fr. matrone, Pr., Sp., Pg., It., & Lat. matrona, from Lat. mater, mother.]
Sense 1. An elderly married woman; an elderly lady; the female head of a household. “Grave from her cradle, insomuch that she was a matron before she was a mother.” Fuller.
Sense 2. In an especial sense, a nurse in a hospital.