math

¹ American  

[math] / mæθ /

noun

1. mathematics.

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math ² American  

[math] / mæθ /

noun

British Dialect.

1. a mowing; a leveling or cutting down of grass, grain, etc., with a mowing machine or scythe.

2. the crop mowed.

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math ³ American  

[muhth] / mʌθ /

Also matha

noun

1. a Hindu monastery.

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math. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. mathematical.

2. mathematician.

3. mathematics.

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math ¹ British  

/ mæθ /

noun

1. Brit equivalent: maths.  informal short for mathematics

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math. ² British  

abbreviation

1. mathematics

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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)”; 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

But make sure you’re factoring in the cost of a prepurchase inspection, which can run anywhere from $200 to $500, to make sure the math still works in your favor.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

While the form shows Weedbrook owning more than 46 million shares, the math gets a bit complicated.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

The new AI model was described as being small and fast by design, capable of reasoning through complex questions in science, math and health.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Infiniti: I was in math class at school — and that’s extra terrifying because I was really bad at math.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

“I thought the opposite of that was the last five minutes of math class, when the teacher’s going on and on and on about decimals,” she said.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• algebra
• calculation
• calculus
• geometry