math

¹ American  

[math] / mæθ /

noun

1. mathematics.

---

math ² American  

[math] / mæθ /

noun

British Dialect.

1. a mowing; a leveling or cutting down of grass, grain, etc., with a mowing machine or scythe.

2. the crop mowed.

---

math ³ American  

[muhth] / mʌθ /

Also matha

noun

1. a Hindu monastery.

---

math. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. mathematical.

2. mathematician.

3. mathematics.

---

math ¹ British  

/ mæθ /

noun

1. Brit equivalent: maths.  informal short for mathematics

---

math. ² British  

abbreviation

1. mathematics

---

Etymology

Origin of math¹

First recorded in 1845–50; by shortening

Origin of math²

First recorded before 900; Middle English (bede)-mad, a kind of manorial duty to mow for one's lord, Old English mǣth “mowing, hay harvest”; cognate with German Mahd, Old Frisian mēth, Old Saxon mād(dag) “mowing (day)”; aftermath, mow ¹, mow ²

Origin of math³

First recorded in 1825–35; from Hindi maṭh, from Sanskrit maṭha “hut, cottage, cell, monastery”

Example Sentences

Still, the safety of Treasury debt is a function of math and confidence.

From The Wall Street Journal

But over time, its fiscal math will stop working.

From Barron's

Now determining whether I can afford something has shifted from a guess every time I click “buy” to a math equation I actually know how to solve.

From MarketWatch

The math of compound interest means that reliably earning just a few extra percentage points on retained cash makes a big difference over the years.

From The Wall Street Journal

Max paused and studied the sky, like you looked to the classroom ceiling for hope during a math pop quiz.

From Literature

Related Words

• algebra
• calculation
• calculus
• geometry