matica

1. (of bees) queen bee; queen
   Matica polaže jaja u košnici. — The queen lays eggs in the hive.
   Pčelar je kupio novu maticu za roj. — The beekeeper bought a new queen for the swarm.
2. (fastener) nut
   Zategni maticu ključem. — Tighten the nut with a wrench.
   Izgubio sam jednu maticu od točka. — I lost one of the wheel nuts.
3. (of a river; figurative) main current; mainstream
   Matica reke ga je odnela daleko od obale. — The river's main current carried him far from the shore.
   Ta stranka je daleko od političke matice. — That party is far from the political mainstream.
4. (for a diaspora) homeland; mother country
   Srbi iz dijaspore održavaju veze s maticom. — Serbs in the diaspora keep ties with their homeland.

Matica srpska is the name of the oldest Serbian cultural institution, based in Novi Sad. In Serbia the civil registers are called matična knjiga rođenih / venčanih / umrlih (izvod iz matične knjige rođenih); matica on its own in this sense (matica rođenih) is Croatian usage.