Pythagorean

1 of 2

noun

Py·​thag·​o·​re·​an pə-ˌtha-gə-ˈrē-ən How to pronounce Pythagorean (audio)
(ˌ)pī-
: any of a group professing to be followers of the Greek philosopher Pythagoras

Pythagorean

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or associated with the Greek philosopher Pythagoras, his philosophy, or the Pythagoreans

Examples of Pythagorean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
There must be thousands of old and new explanations of the Pythagorean theorem online. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2024 Over the distinguished, nearly two-decade long Congressional career that followed, Garfield established America’s first federal Department of Education, won cases before the Supreme Court as an attorney, and even authored an original proof of the Pythagorean theorem. Time, 21 July 2023 The two recent high school graduates are riding high after working together to figure out a new way of proving the Pythagorean Theorem, a 2,000-year-old math concept that hasn’t been expounded upon since. Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 7 July 2023 Much of the time, teams who go 20-9 do so by winning an unsustainably high percentage of close games - not these Pirates, whose Pythagorean record of 19-10 supports the notion that at least some of this progress is real. Tony Blengino, Forbes, 3 May 2023 The math assessment analyzes students’ ability to classify angle measurements, use ratios, apply the Pythagorean theorem, and solve multistep equations, among other skills. Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Apr. 2023 If verified, Johnson and Jackson’s proof would contradict mathematician and educator Elisha Loomis, who stated in his 1927 book The Pythagorean Proposition that no trigonometric proof of the Pythagorean theorem could be correct. Leila Sloman, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2023 The Pythagorean Theorem—discovered by the Greek mathematician Pythagoras in the 6th century BCE—is a cornerstone of mathematics. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 31 Mar. 2023
Adjective
The popular Pythagorean win-loss record, based on run differential, say, is ostensibly a more accurate reflection of a team’s performance. Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2023 Check your measurements based on the Pythagorean theorem formula above and cut two angled 2x4 pieces for each front and back of the doghouse. Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2023 Two high school students have proved the Pythagorean theorem in a way that one early 20th-century mathematician thought was impossible: using trigonometry. Leila Sloman, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2023 This was a very young baseball club, destined to get even better, and had the bounce-back effect typical of teams who far underperform their Pythagorean record set to work in its favor as the 2022 season opened. Tony Blengino, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 In 2016, the teams’ Pythagorean records, based on runs scored and allowed, suggested Toronto was really a 91-win team, the Rangers an 82-win team. Dallas News, 8 July 2022 Their performance in these circumstances is reflected somewhat in a Pythagorean record, which estimates a team’s record based on run differential, that suggests the Orioles came into Tuesday with four more victories than would be expected. Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 24 May 2023 With 62 runs allowed and just 27 scored, the Pythagorean projections puts the Tigers at … 2-7. Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 10 Apr. 2023 The Pythagorean theorem provides an equation to calculate the longer side of a right triangle by summing the squares of the other two sides. Leila Sloman, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Pythagorean.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1531, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1579, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Pythagorean was in 1531

Dictionary Entries Near Pythagorean

Cite this Entry

“Pythagorean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pythagorean. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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