Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Matron \Ma"tron\, n. [F. matrone, L. matrona, fr. mater mother.
   See {Mother}.]
   1. A wife or a widow, especially, one who has borne children;
      a woman of staid or motherly manners.

            Your wives, your daughters, Your matrons, and your
            maids.                                --Shak.

            Grave from her cradle, insomuch that she was a
            matron before she was a mother.       --Fuller.

   2. A housekeeper; esp., a woman who manages the domestic
      economy of a public instution; a head nurse in a hospital;
      as, the matron of a school or hospital.

   {Jury of matrons} (Law), a jury of experienced women called
      to determine the question of pregnancy when set up in bar
      of execution, and for other cognate purposes.

Source : WordNet®

matron
     n 1: a married woman (usually middle-aged with children) who is
          staid and dignified
     2: a wardress in a prison
     3: a woman in charge of nursing in a medical institution [syn:
        {head nurse}]