theorem
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a mathematical rule or statement that has been proven to be true using facts and logic.
n.a mathematical proposition of significant importance that has been demonstrated to be true through a formal proof.
Simple“In school, we learned how to use Pythagoras' theorem to find the length of a triangle's side.”
In context“The mathematician spent decades attempting to provide a definitive proof for the theorem, which had remained a conjecture since the seventeenth century.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
n.a statement in logic that follows correctly from a set of starting rules.
n.a formula or statement within a formal system that is derived from the axioms of that system by applying its rules of inference.
Simple“The computer program checked if the new statement was a valid theorem of the system.”
In context“In formal logic, a theorem is distinguished from an axiom by the fact that it must be derived through a sequence of valid transformations.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
v.to turn a mathematical idea or rule into a formal theorem.
v.to formulate a proposition or set of observations into a formal mathematical theorem.
Simple“The researcher attempted to theorem the observed patterns in the data.”
In context“The author sought to theorem the preliminary findings, though the complexity of the variables made a formal proof exceptionally difficult to construct.”
UsageThis verb is rare and almost exclusively found in academic or historical mathematical texts.
Synonymsformulatecodify
From Middle French théorème, from Late Latin theōrēma, from Ancient Greek θεώρημα (theṓrēma, “speculation, proposition to be proved”) (Euclid), from θεωρέω (theōréō, “I look at, view, consider, examine”), from θεωρός (theōrós, “spectator”), from θέα (théa, “a view”) + ὁράω (horáō, “I see, look”). See also theory, and theater.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.