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; -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

Applied mathematics are used to move around six different audiences in a new version of “The Phantom of the Opera.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

Simon Broucke didn’t expect to use his mathematics degree for his music assistant job at “Masquerade,” the new interactive revival of “The Phantom of the Opera” in New York.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

He won a scholarship to Eton College after attending a state primary school, and studied mathematics at Pembroke College, Oxford.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Levi is not a medical doctor, instead his background is in mathematics and operations research and he also served as an intelligence officer of the elite Israeli Intelligence Corps.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

Egyptian mathematics was famed throughout the Mediterranean, and it is likely that the early Greek mathematicians, masters of geometry like Thales and Pythagoras, studied in Egypt.

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

Related Words

• algebra
• calculation
• calculus
• geometry
• math