Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The mathematics of integers, rational numbers, real numbers, or complex numbers under addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
  • adjective Of or relating to arithmetic.
  • adjective Changing according to an arithmetic progression.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The theory of numbers; the study of the divisibility of whole numbers, the remainders after division, etc. Also called theoretical or higher arithmetic.
  • noun The art of computation: the most elementary branch of mathematics.
  • noun (pron. ar-ith-met′ ik). An arithmetician.
  • noun etc. See the adjectives.
  • A less common form of arithmetical.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The science of numbers; the art of computation by figures.
  • noun A book containing the principles of this science.
  • noun trigonometry.
  • noun the application of the science of numbers to problems in civil government, political economy, and social science.
  • noun the name given by Sir Isaac Newton to algebra.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The mathematics of numbers (integers, rational numbers, real numbers, or complex numbers) under the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
  • adjective mathematics Of, relating to, or using arithmetic; arithmetical.
  • adjective arithmetic Of a progression, mean, etc, computed using addition rather than multiplication.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective relating to or involving arithmetic
  • noun the branch of pure mathematics dealing with the theory of numerical calculations

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English arsmetike, from Old French arismetique, from Medieval Latin arismetica, alteration of Latin arithmētica, from Greek arithmētikē (tekhnē), (art) of counting, feminine of arithmētikos, from arithmein, to count, from arithmos, number; see ar- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English arsmetike, from Old French arismetique, from Latin arithmetica, from Ancient Greek ἀριθμητική ("counting") (τέχνη ("art")), from ἀριθμός ("number"). Used in English since 13th Century.

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Examples

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  • (uh-RITH-muh-Tick) numerical manipulations

    (Air-ith-MET-ick) adj, pertaining to mathematical operations

    March 27, 2007

  • Including, the Mock Turtle tells us, ambition, distraction, uglification and derision.

    October 1, 2008