entry
mathematics
/mæθəˈmætɪks/The abstract study of quantity, form, and relationships
From Greek, transmitted through Latin, Old French, and Middle English mathematic (Relating to learning) + English suffix ics (A field or organized body of knowledge).
from Middle English mathematique, methametik, matematik, matamatik
from Middle English mathematique, methametik, matematik, matamatik
from Latin mathēmatica (“mathematics”)
Word Ancestry
from Middle English mathematique, methametik, matematik, matamatik
from Middle English mathematique, methametik, matematik, matamatik
from Latin mathēmatica (“mathematics”)
Before mathematics became a school subject with sharpened pencils and grim-faced exams, its Greek ancestor máthēma meant simply “a thing learned.” The adjective mathēmatikós described someone disposed to learn—and, in the ancient world, could point toward astronomy and other serious investigations. Greek mathēma ultimately comes from manthanein, “to learn,” though the supplied historical chain does not preserve a reconstructable Proto-Indo-European form. Medieval scribes carried the word through Latin mathēmatica and Old French mathematique; English first recorded mathematics around 1545, displacing the wonderfully literal Old English rīmcræft, “number-craft.” By the eighteenth century, the quadrivium treated arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music as four roads into knowledge—so every time you say mathematics, you are quietly invoking an old Greek idea: numbers are not merely counted; they are learned.
The Story
Before mathematics became a school subject with sharpened pencils and grim-faced exams, its Greek ancestor máthēma meant simply “a thing learned.” The adjective mathēmatikós described someone disposed to learn—and, in the ancient world, could point toward astronomy and other serious investigations. Greek mathēma ultimately comes from manthanein, “to learn,” though the supplied historical chain does not preserve a reconstructable Proto-Indo-European form. Medieval scribes carried the word through Latin mathēmatica and Old French mathematique; English first recorded mathematics around 1545, displacing the wonderfully literal Old English rīmcræft, “number-craft.” By the eighteenth century, the quadrivium treated arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music as four roads into knowledge—so every time you say mathematics, you are quietly invoking an old Greek idea: numbers are not merely counted; they are learned.
Modern Usage
Humorous internet praise portraying mathematics as an exceptionally powerful or enjoyable subject
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries describing mathematics as foundational to science and as “poetry of logic”
Kin & Kindred
From 'mathematic'·Relating to learning; mathematical science
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'ics'·A field or organized body of knowledge
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia