Yes, many math vocabulary terms have root words from Greek or Latin. For example, “geometry” comes from the Greek words “geos” meaning earth and “metron” meaning measurement.
Detailed answer question
Many math vocabulary terms do indeed have root words from Greek or Latin. This is because these two languages laid the foundations for many areas of study, including mathematics. For example, “geometry” comes from the Greek words “geos” meaning earth and “metron” meaning measurement, which makes sense because geometry is the study of measurement and properties of shapes in space.
Other examples of math vocabulary terms with root words include “statistics” which comes from the Latin word “status” meaning “political state, nation” and the Greek word “histēmi” meaning “to stand”, “algebra” which comes from Arabic “al-jabr” meaning “reunion of broken parts,” and “calculus” which derives from the Latin word “calculus” meaning “stone (used for counting).”
As the British mathematician J.H. Whitehead once said, “The science of pure mathematics, in its modern developments, may claim to be the most original creation of the human spirit.” Math is truly a language all its own, and understanding the roots of its vocabulary can deepen our understanding of the subject as a whole.
Here is a table showcasing a few more examples of math vocabulary terms with their root words:
| Vocabulary Term | Root Word(s) | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trigonometry | trigonon, metria | Greek | measurement of triangles |
| Algorithm | Al-Khwārizmī | Arabic | a set of rules for solving a problem |
| Derivative | derivare | Latin | to derive, to obtain |
| Integer | integer | Latin | whole, entire |
| Pythagorean theorem | Pythagoras | Greek | a² + b² = c² |
| Quadratic equation | quadratus | Latin | square |
| Infinite | infinitus | Latin | endless |
As you can see, the root words of these terms are integral to their meanings and give us insight into the origins of mathematical concepts.
Video answer to “Do Your math vocabulary terms have root words?”
The video teaches children about identifying root words, which are the primary unit of a word to which prefixes or suffixes are added. The instructor explains the difference between a prefix and a suffix and provides examples of words with different prefixes and suffixes. The video also lists common root words and encourages children to familiarize themselves with them to improve their reading and vocabulary skills. The video ends with words of encouragement for the kids.
Other viewpoints exist
In the expression x n = z:
- Generally speaking, the term z is an n -th root of x.
- The term x is the radicand.
- Most often, the n is called the index of the radical.
The zeros are where the graph crosses the X axis. These zeros are also known as the solutions or the roots.
In short, root is a translation of the Latin word radix, which is itself a mistranslation of the Arabic word jadhr. That word has multiple meanings in Arabic, one of which is indeed root. But the Arabic-speaking mathematicians1 who introduced it used it in its other meaning of ‘basis’, ‘foundation’, ‘lowest part’.
1I say ‘Arabic-speaking’ because some of them were non-Arabs writing in Arabic, the lingua franca of their time and place. For example, Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī, who is traditionally regarded as the founder of algebra, was Persian. In particular, the word algebra comes from the Arabic word al-jabr, ‘balancing’, which appears in the title of his best-known work.
Discussion
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica,
In the 9th century, Arab writers usually called one of the equal factors of a number jadhr (“root”), and their medieval European translators used the Latin word radix (from which derives the adjective radical).
But why did the writers of mathematical treatise…