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mathematician

American  
[math-uh-muh-tish-uhn] / ˌmæθ ə məˈtɪʃ ən /

noun

  1. an expert or specialist in mathematics.


mathematician British  
/ ˌmæθəməˈtɪʃən, ˌmæθmə- /

noun

  1. an expert or specialist in mathematics

"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

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."

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Vocabulary lists containing mathematician

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.

Mathematician and journalist Kelsey Houston-Edwards describes how this technique has helped identify doughnut-shaped structures of neurons in the brain, as well as new arrangements of molecules that could be the basis for novel drugs.

From Scientific American • Dec. 12, 2022

Mathematician Hannah Fry has done some number crunching and reckons Wales have a 2.2% chance of bagging the four goals needed against England to go through.

From BBC • Nov. 27, 2022

Byrne kept promoting Solomon's work until at least July 2021, when he described him in a blog post as a "Renowned Mathematician."

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2022

Adventures of a Mathematician Historical drama about a 30-year-old Polish Jew who escapes from Europe to the U.S. in the 1930s and later works on a mysterious project in Los Alamos, N.M.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2021

Mathematician Doris Cohen, a native New Yorker who started working at the laboratory in the late 1930s, was for many years the NACA’s lone female author.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

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