mathlete

English

Etymology

Blend of mathematics +‎ athlete. The term is a registered trademark of the MathCounts organization. The term entered pop culture from the movies American Pie (1999) and Mean Girls (2004), as well as being featured in the short-lived cult TV series Freaks and Geeks.

Mathletes was the name of a US national organization in the 1970s that sponsored high school mathematics competitions ("Mathletes") and junior high school competitions ("Junior Mathletes") between school teams known as "Math Teams". A team's news and results could be covered either under Sports (because it was a team competition) or Activities.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmæθliːt/
• Hyphenation: math‧lete

Noun

mathlete (plural mathletes)

1. (US) A member of the math team of a primary school or secondary school.
   • 2004, Tina Fey, Mean Girls, spoken by Kevin G (Rajiv Surendra):

     Yo Yo Yo! All you sucka MCs ain't got nothin' on me! From my grades, to my lines you can't touch Kevin G! I'm a mathlete, so nerd is inferred, but forget what you heard […]

Related terms

• mathletic