mathematics

American  

[math-uh-mat-iks] / ˌmæθ əˈmæt ɪks /

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.

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mathematics British  

/ ˌmæθəˈmætɪks, ˌmæθˈmæt- /

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

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mathematics Scientific  

/ 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.

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mathematics Cultural  

1. 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.

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Etymology

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

Explanation

Mathematics is the long word for "math," or the science of numbers and shapes and what they mean. Most people need mathematics everyday to count and measure. Mathematics is technically a plural noun — mathematics include geometry, algebra, and calculus. But in the U.S., the word is usually treated as a singular concept: That's why someone says that mathematics is their favorite subject, not mathematics are their favorite subjects. The word mathematics comes from the Greek word manthanein, meaning "to learn."

Example Sentences

Their programs were not principally drill-and-kill exercises, but extended to mathematics, English composition, geography, history, and music — piano, violin, and choral programs.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

Hawking could intuit the mathematics that describes the fabric of spacetime, but in that earlier book he sometimes forgot that the rest of us could not do the same, and meandered into distracting mathematical discussions.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Using only these assumptions, the team showed that the resulting mathematics naturally reproduced the defining characteristics of string theory, including its famous spectrum of particle masses and spins.

From Science Daily • May 19, 2026

Before the release of ChatGPT in 2022, servers rarely needed GPUs to do heavy lifting for intense mathematics.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

Fibonacci had learned his mathematics from the Muslims, so he knew about Arabic numerals, including zero.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• algebra
• calculation
• calculus
• geometry
• math