theorem

UK/ˈθiː.ə.ɹəm/US/ˈθiərəm/

nounB2+Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #11,766 of 15,258mostly written

Other forms: theorems

A theorem is a statement proved to be true from other truths. Prove a theorem, Pythagoras's theorem, the theorem holds.

It is proved rather than tested, which is what separates mathematics from science: a theorem once proved stays proved for ever. Fermat's last theorem was written in a margin in 1637 and not proved until 1994.

Definitions of theorem

1nountheoremA statement proved to be true from other truths.B2+
“Pythagoras' theorem tells us how the sides of a right-angled triangle are related.”

theorem is a statement.

Where it comes from

Greek theorema means a thing looked at or contemplated, from theorein, to look at.

Ancient Greek
θεώρημα — speculation, proposition to be proved
Latin
theōrēma
Middle French
théorème
English, today
theorem

Built from

θεωρέω · Ancient Greek — to look at, view, consider, examine
θεωρός · Ancient Greek — spectator
θέα · Ancient Greek — a view
ὁράω · Ancient Greek — to see, look

From Middle French théorème, from Latin theōrēma, from Ancient Greek θεώρημα (“speculation, proposition to be proved”) (Euclid), from θεωρέω (“to look at, view, consider, examine”), from θεωρός (“spectator”), from θέα (“a view”) + ὁράω (“to see, look”). See also theory, and theater.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in School Subjects

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theorem in the wild

In elementary algebra, the binomial theorem (or binomial expansion) describes the algebraic expansion of powers of a binomial.
Binomial theorem
The theorem is a stronger version of the five color theorem, which can be shown using a significantly simpler argument.
Four color theorem
In 2005, the theorem was verified by Georges Gonthier using a general-purpose theorem-proving software.
Four color theorem
In mathematics and formal logic, a theorem is a statement that has been proven, or can be proven.
Theorem
Generally, an assertion that is explicitly called a theorem is a proved result that is not an immediate consequence of other known theorems.
Theorem

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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