Mat
A mat is a generic term for a piece of fabric material it is used for many things, generally placed on a floor or other flat surface, which serves a range of purposes including:
providing a regular or flat surface, such as a cushioned computer mousepad.
protecting that which is beneath the mat, such as a place mat or the matting used in archival framing and preservation of documents and paintings.
protecting that which is above the mat, such as a wrestling or gymnastics mat, or an anti-vibration mat.
serving to clean items passed over it, such as a doormat, which cleans dirt from the soles of shoes.
In domestic settings:
A doormat, more frequently spelled door-mat, is a flat, usually rectangular object placed immediately outside or inside the entrance to a house or other building, to allow people to easily scrub or wipe the soles of their shoes before entering. Doormats are usually made from tough, long-lasting material such as coir, palmyra (palm) fibres and stalks, nylon, rubber, cloth, or aluminium and other metals. Doormats may also be known as welcome mats, as their location at an entrance constitutes a "welcome" to visitors, and may therefore also bear some word, message or sign of greeting. This in turn has given rise to a subculture of cartoons featuring characters returning home to find (to the reader) a humorous message on the doormat. The lowly purpose for which doormats exist has also led to informal use of the term as a reference to people who behave timidly or passively when exploited by others (see also Caspar Milquetoast).
