matronly

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Etymology tree

English matron

Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der.

Proto-Germanic *līkąder.

Proto-Germanic *-līkaz

Proto-West Germanic *-līk

Old English -līċ

Middle English -ly

English -ly

English matronly

From matron + -ly.

In the capacity of a matron; serving as a housekeeper or head nurse. The door opened, but it was to admit a middle-aged matronly lady with good-humour and domestic capability proclaimed by every detail of her smiling face and easy manner.
Exuding the authority, wisdom, power, and intelligence of an experienced woman. c. 1977, Janeane Garofalo, a skit the matronly upper arms girls know about life and love and losing
Having the appearance of a mature woman, often of larger physical stature and somewhat unkempt or dowdy. 27 April 2009, LA Times https://web.archive.org/web/20090427074230/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2009/04/susan-boyle-gets-a-makeover-is-she-going-hollywood-already.html Gone is her matronly gray frizzy hair and those bushy brows, frumpy frock and old lady pearls.

In the manner of a matron. The mother dressed matronly, in a bonnet and in black, always sat between her two big daughters, firm, directing, and repressed.