math

See also: math. and maths

English

Etymology 1

Clipping of mathematics.

Alternative forms

• maths (UK, Australia, New Zealand)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mæθ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æθ

Noun

math (countable and uncountable, plural maths)

1. (informal, uncountable, Canada, US, Philippines) Clipping of mathematics.
   • 2002 October 26, Nathalie Younglai, “Conducting without boundaries”, in Guelph Mercury, page C3:

     Clarke stumbled into music by way of a high school course he took to raise his grades. "Music was a bird course. I had more interest in math, science, and women", he divulged.

2. (informal, uncountable, Canada, US, Philippines) Arithmetic calculations; (see do the math).

   If you do the math, you'll see that it’s not such a bargain.

   $170 a month? That doesn’t sound right. Let me check your math.

3. (informal, countable, Canada, US, Philippines) A math course or class.

   They needed to take two more maths in order to graduate.

   Did you take math today? / What did you do in math today?

   • 2010, Claude Regis Vargo, Beyond My Horizon, →ISBN, page 108:

     Then, I further worked myself into an A+ panic attack with the realization that on top of the algebra, I would have to take three more maths, from a choice of calculus, finite math, statistics, logic, or differential equation.

Hyponyms

• new math
• napkin math

Derived terms

• check the math
• discrete math
• do the math
• fuzzy math
• girl math
• harder than Chinese math
• math circle
• math grenade
• MathML
• math rock
• the math ain't mathing
• the math is mathing

 

Translations

short form of mathematics

• Afrikaans: wiskunde (af)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 數 / 数 (sou³)

• Czech: matika (cs) f
• Dutch: wiskunde (nl)
• Finnish: matikka (fi)
• French: maths (fr) f pl
• German: Mathe (de) f
• Italian: (rare) mate (it) f
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 数学 (ja) (sūgaku)
• Khmer: គណិត (gayaneut)
• Luganda: okubala
• Navajo: ałhiiʼnínáʼiidzóóh, ałhííʼnaʼííltaʼ
• Persian: ریاضی (fa) (riyâzi)
• Polish: matematyka (pl) f, matma (pl) f
• Russian: матика (ru) f (matika)
• Sanskrit: गणित (sa) n (gaṇita)
• Spanish: matemática (es) f
• Swedish: matte (sv)
• Tamil: கணிதம் (ta) (kaṇitam)
• Urdu: گنت m
• Vietnamese: toán (vi), toán học (vi)
• Volapük: matemat (vo)

Further reading

• mathematics on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Verb

math (third-person singular simple present maths, present participle mathing, simple past and past participle mathed)

1. (colloquial, informal) To perform mathematical calculations or mathematical analysis; to do math
2. (slang) To add up, compute; (by extension) to make sense.

   Wait. This doesn't make sense. I mean, the math is not mathing.

   • 2021 June 7, Nylah Burton, “Harry and Meghan’s baby name proves they’re not the heroes you thought they were. And that’s OK”, in The Independent‎^[1]:

     Some of the same people who called for the abolishment of the monarchy back during that explosive Oprah interview are now saying how sweet it is that baby Lili is named after her grandmother, how perfectly it fits her, and the math isn’t mathing. There is a fundamental contradiction here.

   • 2022 May 24, Zoe Guy, “Hunter x Hunter Creator Mysteriously Joins Twitter, Teases New Installments of the Manga”, in Vulture‎^[2]:

     Following intense speculation over the account’s veracity, fellow manga artist Yusuke Murata, the creator behind One-Punch Man, confirmed that the account indeed belongs to Togashi. The math started mathing for Hunter x Hunter fans, who are hoping there will be new installments of the manga on the way.

Derived terms

• the math is mathing

Etymology 2

From Middle English math, from Old English mǣþ (“a mowing, that which is mown, cutting of grass”), from Proto-Germanic *mēþą (“a mowing”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂meh₁- (“to mow”); equivalent to mow +‎ -th. Cognate with German Mahd (“a mowing, reaping”), West Frisian mêd (“area of land that can be mown in one day; domain, realm”). Related also to Old English mǣd (“mead, meadow, pasture”). See meadow.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /mæθ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /mɑːθ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æθ, -ɑːθ

Noun

math (plural maths)

1. A mowing; what is gathered from mowing.

   Hyponyms: aftermath, foremath, lattermath

Derived terms

• aftermath
• beforemath
• foremath
• lattermath

 

Etymology 3

Contraction of matha.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mʌt/, /mɑːt/

Noun

math (plural maths)

1. (Hinduism, Jainism) Clipping of matha.

Anagrams

• THAM, Tham

French

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

math f pl

1. Alternative form of maths

Further reading

• “math”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *matus, commonly understood as a euphemistic derivation from *matis (“good”), cf. Proto-Germanic *berô (“the brown one”), Proto-Slavic *medvědь (“honey-eater”), Latvian lācis (“stomper, pounder”), Sanskrit भल्ल (bhalla, “auspicious, favourable”). A cognate is apparently attested in the Gaulish personal name Matugenos if this means “born of a bear”, and a possibly related Celtiberian matus of uncertain meaning is also attested.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maθ/

Noun

math m (genitive matho)

1. bear

Inflection

Masculine u-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	math	mathL	mathae
Vocative	math	mathL	mathu
Accusative	mathN	mathL	mathu
Genitive	mathoH, mathaH	matho, matha	mathaeN
Dative	mathL	mathaib	mathaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• ⇒ Middle Irish: mathgamain
  • Irish: mathúin
  • Manx: maghouin
  • Scottish Gaelic: mathan

Mutation

Mutation of math

radical	lenition	nasalization
math also mmath after a proclitic ending in a vowel	math pronounced with /β̃(ʲ)-/	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma(h)/
• (Islay) IPA^(key): /mɛ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish maith, from Proto-Celtic *matis, from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂-. Cognate with Welsh mad, Breton mad, Cornish mas. Compare Irish maith, Manx mie.

Adjective

math (genitive singular masculine maith, genitive singular feminine maithe, nominative plural matha, comparative fheàrr, qualitative noun feabhas)

1. good

   'S math sin. ― That's good.

   Dh'òl mi uisge-beatha math an-dè. ― I was drinking good whisky yesterday.

Declension

Case	Masculine singular	Feminine singular	Plural
Nominative	math	mhath	matha
Vocative	mhaith	mhath	matha
Genitive	mhaith	maithe/mhaith	matha
Dative	mhath	mhaith	matha

Synonyms

• deagh (slightly stronger); see also Thesaurus:math

Antonyms

• dona, olc, droch; see also Thesaurus:math

Derived terms

• an ìre mhath (“almost”)
• cho math ri sin (“furthermore”)
• math dha-rìribh (“excellent; genuine”)
• 's math a rinn thu! (“well done!”)
• math fhèin (“excellent”)

Adverb

math

1. well

   Ciamar a tha thu? Meadhanach math. ― How are you? Reasonably well.

Derived terms

• a cheart cho math
• is math le

Noun

math m (genitive singular maith)

1. good
2. advantage, profit, use, utility

Derived terms

• math na bà

Etymology 2

From Old Irish maithid (“remits, excuses; pardons, forgives; remits, abates, withholds; gives up (claim to); renounces”), from maith (“good”).

Verb

math (past mhath, future mathaidh, verbal noun mathadh, past participle mathte)

1. forgive, excuse, pardon, condone, remit

Alternative forms

• (verb): maith

Mutation

Mutation of math

radical	lenition
math	mhath

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “math”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[3], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “maith”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “maithid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Welsh

Etymology

A variation on bath (“kind, sort”). For similar instances of alternation between b and m, see benyw and menyw, beiddio and meiddio, bainc and mainc.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maːθ/
• Rhymes: -aːθ

Noun

math m (plural mathau)

1. kind, sort, type

   Synonym: siort

Derived terms

• pa fath o
• y fath

Mutation

Mutated forms of math

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
math	fath	unchanged	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “math”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies