mathematical symbol
1
3.5
- noun
- /ˌmæθəˈmætɪkəl ˈsɪmbəl/
- Specialized
:
símbolo matemático
- In the equation, the mathematical symbol = signifies that both sides are equal.
Examples
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They favor accountancy precision over legal finesse and mathematical symbols over words.
Academic text (2000) -
The mathematical symbol + indicates addition in arithmetic.
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Mathematical symbols are fundamental tools of thought in scientific fields such as physics.
Academic text (1995) -
Then the mathematical symbol "+" was added to the spatial apparatus.
Academic text (1999) -
He writes on a white pad of paper, wavy lines and strange signs, mathematical symbols.
Fiction book (1994) -
No random product of orbital mechanics, this was a wheel-shaped game board with more than a million crafted playing pieces: gears and geometric shapes, numbers and other mathematical symbols, characters from several human languages, and many more that were unfamiliar.
Fiction book (1991) -
In this, he draws upon the immense investment of time required to attain the degree of condensation and universality implicit in mathematical symbols, exploiting above all what this invention makes possible: representations that are themselves active, operative.
Academic text (1999) -
Each mathematical symbol × on the page represented a different operation or quantity.
Synonyms
45
4.8
A mark that shows if a number is positive or negative
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is a straightforward composition of 'mathematical' (pertaining to mathematics) + 'symbol' (a mark or character), so its meaning as a sign or character used in mathematics is directly inferable from the constituents. This follows a normal adjective + noun pattern found across many languages, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Mathematical symbol comes from the idea of a small sign. The word symbol means a mark that 'stands for' a number or an action, and mathematical shows it is used in math, so marks like '+' and '=' tell you to 'add' or 'equal', which is why a mathematical symbol is a character that shows a number, operation, or relation.