mathematician
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of mathematician
First recorded in 1400–50, mathematician is from the late Middle English word mathematicion. See mathematics, -ian
Explanation
Use the noun mathematician when you talk about someone who is highly educated in — and good at — math. Your math teacher might be a great mathematician who's also gifted at explaining math to students. You can call a person who does math for a living a mathematician, like a math professor or someone who works in statistics or as an actuary. Actually, anyone who has great skill at mathematics is also a mathematician, even if they work as a chef or a taxi driver. The word mathematician is rooted in the Greek mathematikos, which means "relating to mathematics, or scientific," or simply "disposed to learn."
Vocabulary lists containing mathematician
Pi Day Vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Week 1 Spelling
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Katherine Johnson (1918–2020) Tribute List
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the 19th century, mathematician Bernhard Riemann proposed that perceptual color spaces are not flat or straight, but curved.
From Science Daily • Jun. 7, 2026
So imagine how unimaginable it was 80 years ago, when the unit distance problem was posed by Paul Erdős, known as the most prolific mathematician in history.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
You may need a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician and a fortune teller to predict the returns over the lifetime of your grandchildren to ensure that they each end up with an equal amount.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
Before I weigh in on this as a mathematician, let’s turn back to Stanford.
From Slate • May 25, 2026
In England he may well have met Thomas Harriot, a great mathematician who was evidently attracted to atomism, and Gilbert too.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
