Mathematics

How to spell mathematics

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce mathematics

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does mathematics mean?

1. nounThe science of numbers, quantities, shapes, and the relationships between them.

Mathematics in a sentence

• She earned a degree in mathematics before training as an actuary.

• The engineering course relies heavily on advanced mathematics.

Where does mathematics come from?

Language of origin: Greek

Mathematics traces back to the ancient Greek word mathema, which literally meant 'that which is learned' or 'knowledge', from the verb manthanein, 'to learn'. The Greeks formed the adjective mathematikos, meaning 'fond of learning' or 'relating to study', and over time it narrowed specifically to the study of quantity, number, and shape. The term passed into Latin as mathematica and then into English through Old French and Latin during the late 1500s, originally appearing in plural-looking forms covering several allied sciences such as arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy. The English '-ics' ending, seen in 'physics' and 'economics', is what gives the word its characteristic plural-looking shape even though we treat it as singular. The spelling trap is the buried sequence of vowels and the 'th' in the middle: 'ma-the-ma-tics', where the unstressed syllables blur in speech and tempt writers to drop or swap letters.

How the word is built

• mathemat- (from Greek mathema: that which is learned, knowledge)
• -ics (suffix forming names of sciences and bodies of study)