Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Arithmetic

A-rith′me-tic

,
Noun.
[OE.
arsmetike
, OF.
arismetique
, L.
arithmetica
, fr. Gr. [GREEK] (sc. [GREEK]), fr. [GREEK] arithmetical, fr. [GREEK] to number, fr. [GREEK] number, prob. fr. same root as E.
arm
, the idea of counting coming from that of fitting, attaching. See
Arm
. The modern Eng. and French forms are accommodated to the Greek.]
1.
The science of numbers; the art of computation by figures.
2.
A book containing the principles of this science.
Arithmetic of sines
,
trigonometry.
Political arithmetic
,
the application of the science of numbers to problems in civil government, political economy, and social science.
Universal arithmetic
,
the name given by Sir Isaac Newton to algebra.

Webster 1828 Edition


Arithmetic

ARITH'METIC

,
Noun.
[Gr. to number, the art of numbering, from number; from number, rhythm, order, agreement.]
The science of numbers, or the art of computation. The various operations of arithmetic are performed by addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Definition 2024


arithmetic

arithmetic

English

Noun

arithmetic (usually uncountable, plural arithmetics)

  1. The mathematics of numbers (integers, rational numbers, real numbers, or complex numbers) under the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
    • 2013 July 20, Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
      [The researchers] noticed many of their pieces of [plastic marine] debris sported surface pits around two microns across. [] Closer examination showed that some of these pits did, indeed, contain bacteria, and that in several cases these bacteria were dividing and thus, by the perverse arithmetic of biological terminology, multiplying.

Hypernyms

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

arithmetic (not comparable)

  1. (mathematics) Of, relating to, or using arithmetic; arithmetical.
    arithmetic geometry
    • 2008, Emmanuel Kowalski, The large sieve and its applications: arithmetic geometry, random ..., page 189:
      Moreover, the latest work of Katz, involving the so-called 'Larsen alternative', provides new criteria, of a very arithmetic nature, to (almost) determine the rational monodromy group
  2. (arithmetic) Of a progression, mean, etc, computed solely using addition.
    arithmetic progression

Coordinate terms

  • (computed solely using addition): geometric

Derived terms

Translations

See also

  • List of terms used in arithmetic