enumeration
ih-noo-muh-RAY-shun
/ɪˌnuː.məˈreɪ.ʃən/
The action of mentioning or counting a number of things one by one.
Emphasizes the meticulous, individual line-item counting process in statistical data gathering.
The story behind the word. Derived from Latin 'enumerare' (to count out, specify). It entered English in the 16th century to describe systematically listing items or counting individuals one by one.
Word relationships
- tally: Tally is an informal running count, whereas enumeration is formal and systematically recorded item by item.
- estimation: Calculating an approximate value rather than counting every individual unit.
Commonly confused with
- renunciation: Renunciation means giving up something, while enumeration means listing or counting items.
Word family
- enumerate (verb): To count or list one by one.
- enumerator (noun): A person employed to collect census data.
Collocations
- complete enumeration
- census enumeration
- enumeration area
- direct enumeration
Example sentences
- "The precise enumeration of household members took several weeks of door-to-door surveying." Census procedure
- "The constitutional clause contains a detailed enumeration of executive powers." Legal text
Memory hook
e-NUMER-ation = counting NUMBERS out one by one. Counting one by one.
When not to use
Do not use to describe general estimation or rough grouping.
Fun facts
- People who go door-to-door collecting census forms are officially titled 'census enumerators'.
Related words
Explore more words
catalog, sequential, enunciate, incremental, describe, meticulous
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