Standard Lemma guide

arithmetic

adj · noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: ərĭth′mətĭk
  • Received-Pronunciation: [əˈɹɪθmətɪk]
  • General-American: [əˈɹɪθmətɪk]
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /ˌɛɹɪθˈmɛtɪk/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: ărĭthmĕt'ĭk
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /æɹɪθˈmɛtɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: EH2 R IH0 TH M EH1 T IH0 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: ER0 IH1 TH M AH0 T IH2 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Increasing or decreasing by an arithmetic progression.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • Near-synonym: linear
  • Growth in the most mature markets is likely to be arithmetic; on what rational basis could one hope for exponential growth there?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: linear

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of, relating to, or using arithmetic; arithmetical.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: mathematics, sciences

Examples

  • arithmetic geometry

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Of a progression, mean, etc, computed solely using addition.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: arithmetic

Examples

  • arithmetic progression

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The mathematics of numbers (integers, rational numbers, real numbers, or complex numbers) under the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Number theory.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective

Meaning 6

relating to or involving arithmetic

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • arithmetical computations

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: arithmetical

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the branch of pure mathematics dealing with the theory of numerical calculations

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pure mathematics

Narrower terms: algorism

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2er- Proto-Indo-European *-éh1ti Proto-Indo-European *h2reh1- Proto-Indo-European *-éyti Proto-Indo-European *h2rey-der. Ancient Greek ᾰ̓ρῐθμός (ărĭthmós) Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *-eyéti Proto-Indo-European *-esyéti Proto-Indo-European *-éh1ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh1yeti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Ancient Greek -έω (-éō) Ancient Greek ἀριθμέω (arithméō) Proto-Indo-European *-tis Ancient Greek -τις (-tis) Ancient Greek -σῐς (-sĭs) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Hellenic *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Hellenic *-tós Ancient Greek -τος (-tos) ▲ Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? Ancient Greek -τικός (-tikós) Ancient Greek ἀριθμητῐκός (arithmētĭkós) Ancient Greek ἀριθμητῐκή (arithmētĭkḗ)bor. Latin arithmēticabor. ▲ Ancient Greek ἀριθμητῐκός (arithmētĭkós)bor. Latin arithmēticusbor. Old French arismetiquebor. Middle English arsmetike English arithmetic From Middle English arsmetike, from Old French arismetique, from Latin arithmētica, from Ancient Greek ἀριθμητική (τέχνη) (arithmētikḗ (tékhnē), “(art of) counting”), feminine of ἀριθμητικός (arithmētikós, “arithmetical”), from ἀριθμός (arithmós, “number, counting”), from Proto-Indo-European *h2ri-dhh1-mó-s, form of *h2rey- (“to count, reason”). Used in English since 13th century.

From French arithmétique, from Latin arithmēticus, from Ancient Greek ἀριθμητῐκός (arithmētĭkós).

Across languages

Translations

125 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: aritmetik — arithmetical
  • Armenian: թվաբանական (tʻvabanakan) — arithmetical
  • Asturian: aritméticu — arithmetical
  • Belarusian: арыфметы́чны (aryfmjetýčny) — arithmetical
  • Bulgarian: аритметичен (aritmetičen) — arithmetical
  • Chinese Mandarin: 算術的 /算术的 (suànshù de) — arithmetical
  • Czech: aritmetický — arithmetical
  • Dutch: rekenkundig — arithmetical
  • Finnish: aritmeettinen — arithmetical
  • French: d'arithmétique — arithmetical
  • French: de l’arithmétique — arithmetical
  • Friulian: aritmetic — arithmetical
  • Galician: aritmético — arithmetical
  • German: arithmetisch — arithmetical
  • Greek: αριθμητικός (arithmitikós) — arithmetical
  • Hindi: अंकगणितीय (aṅkagṇitīya) — arithmetical
  • Hungarian: számtani — arithmetical
  • Indonesian: aritmetika — arithmetical
  • Irish: uimhríochta — arithmetical
  • Irish: uimhríochtúil — arithmetical
  • Italian: aritmetico — arithmetical
  • Italian: aritmetica — arithmetical
  • Kazakh: арифметикалық (arifmetikalyq) — arithmetical
  • Latvian: aritmētisks — arithmetical
  • Macedonian: аритметички (aritmetički) — arithmetical
  • Marathi: अंकगणितीय (aṅkagṇitīy) — arithmetical
  • Norwegian: aritmetisk — arithmetical
  • Occitan: aritmetic — arithmetical
  • Polish: arytmetyczny — arithmetical
  • Portuguese: aritmético — arithmetical
  • Romanian: aritmetic — arithmetical
  • Russian: арифмети́ческий (arifmetíčeskij) — arithmetical
  • Spanish: aritmético — arithmetical
  • Spanish: arismético (desus.) — arithmetical
  • Swedish: aritmetisk — arithmetical
  • Swedish: compounds with aritmetik — arithmetical
  • Ukrainian: арифмети́чний (aryfmetýčnyj) — arithmetical
  • Volapük: kalkulava — arithmetical
  • Volapük: kalkulav- — arithmetical
  • Welsh: rhifyddol — arithmetical
  • Armenian: թվաբանական (tʻvabanakan) — computed solely using addition
  • Bulgarian: аритметичен (aritmetičen) — computed solely using addition
  • Finnish: aritmeettinen — computed solely using addition
  • French: arithmétique — computed solely using addition
  • German: arithmetisch — computed solely using addition
  • Hungarian: számtani — computed solely using addition
  • Macedonian: аритметички (aritmetički) — computed solely using addition
  • Portuguese: aritmético — computed solely using addition
  • Russian: арифмети́ческий (arifmetíčeskij) — computed solely using addition
  • Swedish: aritmetisk — computed solely using addition
  • Albanian: aritmetikë — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Arabic: حساب — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Arabic: العدّ — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Armenian: թվաբանություն (tʻvabanutʻyun) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Basque: aritmetika — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Bulgarian: аритме́тика (aritmétika) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Catalan: aritmètica — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Chinese Mandarin: 算術 /算术 (suànshù) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Cornish: niveronieth — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Czech: aritmetika — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Dutch: aritmetica — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Dutch: rekenkunde — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Esperanto: aritmetiko — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Esperanto: kalkularto — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Finnish: aritmetiikka — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Finnish: laskuoppi — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • French: arithmétique — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Friulian: aritmetiche — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Galician: aritmética — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • German: Arithmetik — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • German: Rechenkunst — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • German: Rechenkunde — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Greek: αριθμητική (arithmitikí) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Ancient Greek: ἀριθμητική (arithmētikḗ) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Gujarati: અંકગણિત (aṅkagaṇit) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Hebrew: חֶשְׁבּוֹן (ẖeshbón) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Hindi: अंकगणित (aṅkgaṇit) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Hungarian: számtan — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Hungarian: aritmetika — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Indonesian: aritmetika — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Inuktitut: ᓈᓴᐅᓯᕆᓂᖅ (naasaosiriniq) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Irish: uimhríocht — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Irish: áireamh — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Irish: figiúirí — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Italian: aritmetica — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Japanese: 算数 (sansū) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Kannada: ಅಂಕಗಣಿತ (aṅkagaṇita) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Kazakh: арифметика (arifmetika) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Korean: 산술 (sansul) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Latvian: aritmētika — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Lithuanian: aritmetika — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Macedonian: аритметика (aritmetika) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Malayalam: അങ്കഗണിതം (aṅkagaṇitaṁ) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Marathi: अंकगणित (aṅkagaṇit) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Mongolian: арифметик (arifmetik) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Mongolian: тооны бодлого (toony bodlogo) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Norman: caltchul — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Norwegian: aritmetikk — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Occitan: aritmetica — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Old English: rimcræft — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Old English: ġerīmcræft — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Persian: حساب (hesâb) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Persian: اشمار (ošmâr) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Polish: arytmetyka — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Portuguese: aritmética — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Romanian: aritmetică — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Russian: арифме́тика (arifmétika) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Spanish: aritmética — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Spanish: arismética — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Swedish: aritmetik — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Tagalog: bilnuran — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Tagalog: aritmetika — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Tajik: ҳисоб (hisob) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Telugu: అంకగణితం (aṅkagaṇitaṁ) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Thai: เลขคณิต (lek-ka-nit) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Tibetan: ཨང་རྩིས (ang rtsis) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Ottoman Turkish: حساب (hisab) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Ukrainian: арифме́тика (aryfmétyka) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Ukrainian: аритме́тика (arytmétyka) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Urdu: حساب (hisāb) — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Vietnamese: số học — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Volapük: kalkulav — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Welsh: rhifyddeg — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Welsh: rhifyddiaeth — mathematics of numbers, etc.
  • Xhosa: izibalo — mathematics of numbers, etc.
Real reading context

arithmetic in complete knowledge articles