mathematics
- 1The study of numbers, quantities, shapes, structures, and how they relate and change, or a person's knowledge and skill in it.
Like a universal language that describes patterns, from the spiral of a shell to the orbit of a planet.
Modern physics relies heavily on mathematics to model the natural world.
Mathematics provides the tools for everything from architecture to cryptography.
UsageUsually takes a singular verb: mathematics is hard. The short forms are math and maths.
- 2The numerical side of a specific situation, plan, or activity: the figures involved and the calculations or reasoning applied to them.
Once she worked through the mathematics, opening a second store looked far less attractive.
The mathematics of the election favored the challenger, who needed only a small swing in three districts.
UsageOften the mathematics of something: the mathematics of the deal.
Similararithmetic, numbers
Practice
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Origin
Recorded in English since the 16th century, it was formed from "mathematic" plus "-ics". The line runs back through Old French "mathematique" and Latin "mathēmatica" to Ancient Greek "mathēmatikós", meaning "having to do with what is learned", which was built on "máthēma" (knowledge, study, learning). It replaced the native Old English word "rīmcræft".
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts
- Mathematics is recorded in English since the 16th century. en.wiktionary.org
- Mathematics was formed from mathematic plus -ics. en.wiktionary.org
- Its ancestry runs through Old French mathematique and Latin mathēmatica to Ancient Greek mathēmatikós. en.wiktionary.org
- Mathēmatikós means having to do with what is learned. en.wiktionary.org
- Mathēmatikós was built on máthēma, meaning knowledge, study, learning. en.wiktionary.org
- Mathematics displaced the native Old English word rīmcræft. en.wiktionary.org