Mathematical

How to spell mathematical

12 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce mathematical

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does mathematical mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to mathematics, or characterised by precise numerical reasoning.

Mathematical in a sentence

• The accountant applied a mathematical formula to balance the books.

• Solving the puzzle required strong mathematical reasoning.

Where does mathematical come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the ancient Greek noun mathema, which literally meant 'that which is learnt' or 'a thing studied', built on the verb manthanein, meaning 'to learn'. From mathema the Greeks formed mathematikos, an adjective describing someone 'fond of learning' that narrowed to the study of number, measurement and shape. Latin took up the form as mathematicus, and the word reached English through Old French and Latin during the 1400s and 1500s, with the fuller adjective 'mathematical' appearing in the late fifteenth century. The same Greek root survives in 'polymath', a person of wide learning, which is a useful reminder that mathematics originally meant simply 'the things worth learning'. The spelling trap lies in the unstressed middle vowels and the doubled 't' from the Greek mathema, plus the easily dropped second 'a' in 'mathemat'.

How the word is built

• mathemat- (from Greek mathema: that which is learnt, science)
• -ic (adjective: pertaining to)
• -al (adjective suffix)