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mathematics

[math-uh-mat-iks]
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noun
  1. (used with a singular verb) the systematic treatment of magnitude, relationships between figures and forms, and relations between quantities expressed symbolically.
  2. (used with a singular or plural verb) mathematical procedures, operations, or properties.

Origin of mathematics

1350–1400; Middle English mathematic < Latin mathēmatica (ars) < Greek mathēmatikḕ (téchnē) scientific (craft), equivalent to mathēmat- (stem of máthēma) science, knowledge + -ikē, feminine of -ikos -ic; see -ics
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mathematics

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • I was dreadfully dull at mathematics, but I wouldn't see it.

    The Harbor

    Ernest Poole

  • Taxation is a problem in mathematics and national economics.

    War Taxation

    Otto H. Kahn

  • Still, mathematics admit of other applications, as the Pythagoreans say, and we agree.

  • But he has hitherto been unable to make the transition from mathematics to metaphysics.

  • These, and music and mathematics, are the chief parts of his education.

    Laws

    Plato

British Dictionary definitions for mathematics

mathematics

noun
  1. (functioning as singular) a group of related sciences, including algebra, geometry, and calculus, concerned with the study of number, quantity, shape, and space and their interrelationships by using a specialized notation
  2. (functioning as singular or plural) mathematical operations and processes involved in the solution of a problem or study of some scientific field

Word Origin

C14: mathematik (n), via Latin from Greek (adj), from mathēma a science, mathēmatikos (adj); related to manthanein to learn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for mathematics

n.

1580s, plural of mathematic (see -ics). Originally denoting the mathematical sciences collectively, including geometry, astronomy, optics.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
mathematics in Science

mathematics

[măth′ə-măt′ĭks]
  1. The study of the measurement, relationships, and properties of quantities and sets, using numbers and symbols. Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and calculus are branches of mathematics.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
mathematics in Culture

mathematics

The study of numbers, equations, functions, and geometric shapes (see geometry) and their relationships. Some branches of mathematics are characterized by use of strict proofs based on axioms. Some of its major subdivisions are arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and calculus.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.