Mathematics
noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 An abstract representational system studying numbers, shapes, structures, quantitative change and relationships between them. uncountable
"Next to Mathematics, the study of natural philosophy tends to have anti-aphrodisiac effects."
- 2 a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement wordnet
- 3 A person's ability to count, calculate, and use different systems of mathematics at differing levels. uncountable
"My mathematics is always improving."
Example
More examples"Mathematics is the part of science you could continue to do if you woke up tomorrow and discovered the universe was gone."
Etymology
1580s; From mathematic (noun) + -ics, from Middle English mathematique, methametik, matematik, matamatik, from Old French mathematique, from Latin mathēmatica (“mathematics”), from Ancient Greek μαθηματικός (mathēmatikós, “on the matter of that which is learned”), from μάθημα (máthēma, “knowledge, study, learning”). Displaced native Old English rīmcræft.
Related phrases
More for "mathematics"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.