theorem means A mathematical statement of some importance that has been proven to be true. Minor theorems are often called propositions. Theorems which are not very interesting in themselves but are an essential part of a bigger theorem's proof are called lemmas. It carries an Arena rating of 1504, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, theorem ranks #2,578 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,949 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #6,470 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #7,708 of 42,747 for Qualifying.
theorem is pronounced /ˈθiː.ə.ɹəm/.
Why “theorem” is a great word
A mathematical statement of some importance that has been proven to be true. From Middle French théorème, from Late Latin theōrēma, from Ancient Greek θεώρημα (theṓrēma, 'speculation, proposition to be proved'), from θεωρέω (theōréō, 'to look at, view, consider, examine'), first attested in English in the 1550s. Unlike a hypothesis (a tentative conjecture awaiting evidence) or a theory (a robust but revisable explanation of the world), a theorem is the finished, immutable product of logical deduction—a citadel built upon axioms. It is the Pythagorean triangle gleaming with its eternal right angle, the elegant clockwork of Euclid's geometry unfolding, and the moment when chalk dust settles on a proof that will outlast the classroom; a rare and perfect artifact of human reason in a universe of entropy.
Etymology
From Middle French théorème, from Late Latin theōrēma, from Ancient Greek θεώρημα (theṓrēma, “speculation, proposition to be proved”) (Euclid), from θεωρέω (theōréō, “to look at, view, consider, examine”), from θεωρός (theōrós, “spectator”), from θέα (théa, “a view”) + ὁράω (horáō, “to see, look”). See also theory, and theater.
noun
- A mathematical statement of some importance that has been proven to be true. Minor theorems are often called propositions. Theorems which are not very interesting in themselves but are an essential part of a bigger theorem's proof are called lemmas.
- A mathematical statement that is expected to be true.e.g.“Fermat's Last Theorem was known thus long before it was proved in the 1990s.”
- A syntactically correct expression that is deducible from the given axioms of a deductive system.
verb
- To formulate into a theorem.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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