arithmetic

[ noun uh-rith-muh-tik; adjective ar-ith-met-ik ]

/ noun əˈrɪθ mə tɪk; adjective ˌær ɪθˈmɛt ɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR arithmetic ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the method or process of computation with figures: the most elementary branch of mathematics.

Also called higher arithmetic, theoretical arithmetic. the theory of numbers; the study of the divisibility of whole numbers, the remainders after division, etc.

a book on this subject.

adjective ar·ith·met·ic [ar-ith-met-ik] /ˌær ɪθˈmɛt ɪk/

Also ar·ith·met·i·cal. of or relating to arithmetic.

Nearby words

aristotle contemplating the bust of homer, aristotle's lantern, aristotype, arith., arithmancy, arithmetic, arithmetic mean, arithmetic progression, arithmetic/logic unit, arithmetician, arius

Origin of arithmetic

1200–50; < Latin arithmētica, feminine singular of arithmēticus < Greek arithmētikḗ (téchnē) (art, skill) of numbers, equivalent to arithmé(ein) to reckon + -t(o)- verbal adjective + -ikḗ -ic; replacing Middle English arsmet(r)ike < Old French arismetique < Medieval Latin arismētica, with s for Late Greek th

Related forms

ar·ith·met·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·ar·ith·met·ic, adjectivenon·ar·ith·met·i·cal, adjectivenon·ar·ith·met·i·cal·ly, adverb

un·ar·ith·met·i·cal, adjectiveun·ar·ith·met·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for arithmetical

I had beheld human creatures, called clerks, turned nearly into arithmetical machines.
Tales And Novels, Volume 9 (of 10)|Maria Edgeworth
Society is not merely an arithmetical total, or a collective designation.
Instigations|Ezra Pound
Had they stuck to their metaphysic principles, the arithmetical process would be simple indeed.
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. III. (of 12)|Edmund Burke
Man's original nature is destitute of all arithmetical ideas.
The Psychology of Arithmetic|Edward L. Thorndike

Never, perhaps, has so unhappy an error been made in a work of an arithmetical and mathematical character.
Archaeological Essays, Vol. 1|James Y. Simpson

British Dictionary definitions for arithmetical

arithmetic

/ (əˈrɪθmətɪk) /

noun

the branch of mathematics concerned with numerical calculations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division

one or more calculations involving numerical operations

knowledge of or skill in using arithmetichis arithmetic is good

adjective (ˌærɪθˈmɛtɪk) ˌarith'metical

of, relating to, or using arithmetic

Derived Forms

arithmetically, adverbarithmetician, noun

Word Origin for arithmetic

C13: from Latin arithmētica, from Greek arithmētikē, from arithmein to count, from arithmos number

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

Science definitions for arithmetical

arithmetic

[ ə-rĭth′mĭ-tĭk ]

The mathematics of integers, rational numbers, real numbers, or complex numbers under the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.