Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - matte

 I. or matt  variant of mat III 1  II. adjective  also mat or matt  Etymology: French mat, from Old French, faded, defeated  Date: circa 1648 lacking or deprived of luster or gloss: as  a. having a usually smooth even surface free from shine or highlights ~ metals a ~ finish  b. having a rough or granular surface  III. noun  Etymology: French, from Middle French, crude metal, curdled milk, from feminine of mat thick, dull, ~  Date: 1839  1. a crude mixture of sulfides formed in smelting sulfide ores of metals (as copper, lead, or nickel)  2. a motion-picture effect in which part of a scene is blocked out and later replaced by footage containing other material (as a background painting)