1 arithmetic | Definition of arithmetic

arithmetic

noun
arith·​me·​tic | \ É™-ˈrith-mÉ™-ËŒtik How to pronounce arithmetic (audio) \

Definition of arithmetic

1a : a branch of mathematics that deals usually with the nonnegative real numbers including sometimes the transfinite cardinals and with the application of the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to them
b : a treatise on arithmetic

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Other Words from arithmetic

arithmetic \ ËŒer-​ith-​ˈme-​tik How to pronounce arithmetic (audio) , ËŒa-​rith \ or arithmetical \ -​ti-​kÉ™l How to pronounce arithmetical (audio) \ adjective
arithmetically \ -​ti-​k(É™-​)lÄ“ How to pronounce arithmetically (audio) \ adverb
arithmetician \ É™-​ËŒrith-​mÉ™-​ˈti-​shÉ™n How to pronounce arithmetician (audio) \ noun

Examples of arithmetic in a Sentence

a software program that will do the arithmetic for you I haven't actually done the arithmetic yet, but I suspect we're losing money on the deal.

Recent Examples on the Web

In Italy’s relatively complicated political system, this sort of parliamentary arithmetic is a persistent problem. Adam Taylor, Washington Post, "Why Italian governments so often end in collapse," 20 Aug. 2019 The candidates were required to sit five papers in English, arithmetic, and general knowledge, over nine hours in total, on Aug. 28 and 29, 1919, and were expressly forbidden from trying to bring any undue influence to bear on the results: Warning. Hedley Sutton, Quartz India, "What the British Indian police exams looked like a century ago," 19 Aug. 2019 Those who worked out at the gym this week seemed to be engrossed in a complicated moral arithmetic. Lizzie Widdicombe, The New Yorker, "Equinox Members Take a Stand Against Trump (Sort of)," 9 Aug. 2019 Simple arithmetic suggests some candidates will be left out. Los Angeles Times, "What time is the July Democratic presidential debate this week and who will be on stage?," 29 July 2019 Although the math is just basic arithmetic, many of us assume the final number will be far smaller, a blind spot known as exponential-growth bias. Shlomo Benartzi, WSJ, "If You Don’t Save Enough, Perhaps You Have ‘Exponential Growth Bias’," 16 June 2019 In the mid-1980s, some Texas school districts were so underfunded, their high schools offered four years of basic arithmetic — and no algebra or geometry, Cole said. Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, "Ross Perot’s impact on Texas education went far beyond no-pass, no-play to complete school overhaul," 9 July 2019 At home, the parliamentary arithmetic is unforgiving. Boris Johnson, The Economist, "Boris Johnson, illusionist," 4 July 2019 Or, put another way, the arithmetic of the real numbers never yields a number outside the real numbers. Quanta Magazine, "Smaller Is Better: Why Finite Number Systems Pack More Punch," 11 Feb. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arithmetic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of arithmetic

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for arithmetic

Middle English arsmetrik, from Anglo-French arismatike, from Latin arithmetica, from Greek arithmētikē, from feminine of arithmētikos arithmetical, from arithmein to count, from arithmos number; akin to Old English rīm number, and perhaps to Greek arariskein to fit

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More Definitions for arithmetic

arithmetic

noun

English Language Learners Definition of arithmetic

: a branch of mathematics that deals with numbers and their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
: the act or process of calculating a number

arithmetic

noun
arith·​me·​tic | \ É™-ˈrith-mÉ™-ËŒtik How to pronounce arithmetic (audio) \

Kids Definition of arithmetic

1 : a science that deals with the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of numbers
2 : an act or method of adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing

Other Words from arithmetic

arithmetic \ ËŒer-​ith-​ˈme-​tik \ or arithmetical \ -​ti-​kÉ™l \ adjective

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