Standard Lemma guide

mathesis

noun · 2 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.

  • UK: /məˈθiːsɪs/
  • UK: /ˈmaθəsɪs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Mental calculation or discipline; science, especially mathematical learning.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The science of establishing a systematic order for things. (After Foucault.)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • 1997, Chris Horrocks, Introducing Foucault, page 69 (Totem Books, Icon Books; →ISBN I’m using 'mathesis' — a universal science of measurement and order [...]

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman mathesis, Middle French mathesie, and their source, Late Latin mathesis (“astrology, liberal arts, science”), from Ancient Greek μάθησις (máthēsis, “learning”), from the same base as μανθάνω (manthánō, “to learn”).

Across languages

Translations

1 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • German: Mathesis — learning