Table of Pythagoras
Preserved but no longer current.
The common multipli- cation table, carried up to ten. The table is parcelled off into a hundred little squares or cells. The name first appears in a corrupt text of Boethius, who was really referring to the abacus (<?.v.).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Table of Pythagoras” mean?
The common multipli- cation table, carried up to ten. The table is parcelled off into a hundred little squares or cells. The name first appears in a corrupt text of Boethius, who was really referring to the abacus (<?.v.).
Is “Table of Pythagoras” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.