▪ I. † matte1 Obs.
In the trivial oath by the matte, ? alteration of by the mass. (Cf. mack n.2)
| a 1553 Udall Royster D. iv. vii. (Arb.) 75 By the matte but I will. Ibid. viii. (Arb.) 77 Come away, by the matte she is mankine. |
▪ II. matte2 Metallurgy.
(mæt)
[a. F. matte.]
An impure and unfinished metallic product of the smelting of various ores, esp. those of copper.
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 802 Matte is a crude black copper reduced..from sulphur and other heterogeneous substances. 1884 C. G. W. Lock Workshop Receipts Ser. iii. 59/2 This matte is termed ‘white metal’. 1899 Daily News 13 June 4/4 They ask that Canada shall not impose a duty on nickel ore or nickel matte. |
| attrib. 1877 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 288 The employment of the method for the purpose of matte-smelting..is objectionable on the ground that [etc.]. Ibid. 391 They are melted in the matte-furnace with rich gold ores. |
▪ III. matte3 Cinemat.
(mæt)
Also mat.
[Fr.]
A mask (mask n.3 4 e) used to obscure or shade (part of) the image shown. Also attrib.
| 1938 Motion Pict. Sound Engin. (Acad. Motion Pict. Arts & Sci.) 39 A more recent procedure is to use a W-type mat which reduces the track width from the center as well as from both..edges. 1948 Mencken Amer. Lang. Suppl. II. 699 Matte shot, a film made with a section blocked out, to be filled later on another set. 1949 W. H. Offenhauser 16-Mm. Sound Motion Pict. xii. 382 A traveling matte..is merely a film interposed at the gate between the light source and the image-bearing film that alters the light intensity in the manner of a neutral density film. Ibid. 549/2 Matte rolls are a pair of film rolls used as light modulators. 1959 W. S. Sharps Dict. Cinematogr. 110/2 Matte box, a box fitted to the front of a camera to hold mattes. The matte box frequently combines the functions of a lens hood and filter holder as well. 1960 O. Skilbeck ABC of Film & TV 84 Matte, a specially photographed Mask which..leaves blanks which can be correspondingly filled with something else at a second printing; e.g. adding a false Background as though seen through a window. 1972 L. D. Giannetti Understanding Movies 73 Mattes are used to block out certain areas of the real scene where the animated drawings will appear in the finished print. |
▪ IV. matte
variant of mate a. Obs., obs. f. maté, var. matt a.