math
noun
math
1 American
[math]
/ mæθ /
noun
math
2
American
[math]
/ mæθ /
noun
British Dialect.
-
a mowing; a leveling or cutting down of grass, grain, etc., with a mowing machine or scythe.
-
the crop mowed.
math
3
American
[muhth]
/ mʌθ /
Also
matha
noun
math.
4
American
abbreviation
-
mathematical.
-
mathematician.
-
mathematics.
math
1
British
/ mæθ /
noun
math.
2
British
abbreviation
Etymology
Origin of math1
First recorded in 1845–50; by shortening
Origin of math2
First recorded before 900; Middle English (bede)-mad, a kind of manorial duty to mow for one's lord, Old English mǣth “mowing, hay harvest”; cognate with German Mahd, Old Frisian mēth, Old Saxon mād(dag) “mowing (day)”; cf. aftermath, mow 1, mow 2
Origin of math3
First recorded in 1825–35; from Hindi maṭh, from Sanskrit maṭha “hut, cottage, cell, monastery”
Explanation
Math is the science of numbers. You may start out learning addition and subtraction in math, and then end up years later tackling multivariable implicit differentiation problems. Say what?! Math is the common, shortened form of mathematics, which comes from the Greek mathematike tekhne, "mathematical science," from the root mathema, "knowledge or science." Math is one of the basic subjects that are covered in nearly every school, from basic addition to calculus. If someone says, "Do the math," they usually mean, "Just think about it — it's so obvious."
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.
According to its website, the math-, science- and technology-focused school is a tuition-free, public charter institution authorized by the Los Angeles Unified School District’s executive board of directors.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2022
It is an award that should stand for all that is good and beautiful about math- ematics.
From Scientific American • Aug. 1, 2018
Gulen’s followers have opened private schools around the world, including more than 160 science-, math- and technology-focused public charter schools in the United States.
From Washington Post • Jul. 16, 2016
Malik was on the math- and science-heavy pre-med track, and she flourished.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2015
Alexander tracked the progress of 650 first graders from the Baltimore public school system, looking at how they scored on a widely used math- and reading-skills exam called the California Achievement Test.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
