Pythagorean
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
-
of or relating to Pythagoras
-
denoting the diatonic scale of eight notes arrived at by Pythagoras and based on a succession of fifths
noun
Other Word Forms
- post-Pythagorean adjective
Etymology
Origin of Pythagorean
1540–50; < Latin Pȳthagorē ( us ) (< Greek Pȳthagóreios of Pythagoras) + -an
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.
Overhead, a stylized starry sky—gold against deep blue—illustrates the Pythagorean idea of the music of the spheres.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
We still use the Pythagorean theorem and euclidean principles.
From Slate • Sep. 26, 2025
The Pythagorean theorem is therefore equivalent to the equation sin2 x + cos2 x = 1.
From Scientific American • Apr. 10, 2023
Fortunately, there’s a much easier way to use the Pythagorean theorem on a job site.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 12, 2022
The mystical symbol of the Pythagorean cult was, naturally, a number-shape: the pentagram, a five-pointed star.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
