I. ˈsəm noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English summe, somme, from Old French, from Latin summa, from feminine of summus highest, topmost; akin to Latin super over — more at over
1.
a. : an indefinite or specified amount of money
received occasional sums of money
a sum of fifty dollars
are paid only a nominal sum for their services — F.A.Ogg & P.O.Ray
if all sums for armaments were used to build libraries — Alfred Stefferud
b. archaic : a quantity of goods having a set value
taxes assessed in sums of tobacco
2.
a. : the whole amount : an existent total
duty to maintain and preserve the sum of human knowledge — H.J.J.Winter
b. : an aggregate of distinct usually specified things : a discrete whole
history is not merely a sum of events
possessed of such various talents in the arts … as in their sum to approach genius — Osbert Sitwell
3. : the ultimate end : the utmost degree : height , summit
reached the sum of human bliss
saw the war … as the very crown and sum of human folly — Rose Macaulay
4.
a. : a summary of the chief points or thoughts : epitome , summation
the sum of this criticism follows — C.W.Hendel
b. : the main or essential point : gist
the sum of the evidence
attempting to convey the sum of the book in a short phrase or sentence — J.E.Miller
5. obsolete : numeral ; especially : integer
6.
a.
(1) : the aggregate of two or more numbers, magnitudes, quantities, or particulars : the result of performing an addition
the sum of 5 and 7 is 12
(2) : the limit of the sum of the first n terms of an infinite series as n increases indefinitely
b. : numbers to be added : a column of figures : a problem in arithmetic — often used with do
a child trying to do a difficult sum in mental arithmetic — C.D.Lewis
c. sums plural : arithmetic especially as a school subject
singing is quite as important in education as sums, spelling, or writing — George Sampson
d. : the result of logical addition or alternation
Synonyms:
amount , aggregate , total , whole , number , quantity : sum may indicate the result of simple addition
the sum of two and three
and usually applies to simple obvious putting together of things
a personality is never a mere sum of traits and cannot be explained by the most complete inventory — H.J.Muller
amount may be used of more accumulative or combinative processes
the amount of snow that we usually have in the northern United States — Richard Joseph
a considerable amount of business experience — C.W.Mitman
a considerable amount of unhappiness and poverty in his early youth — A.E.Wier
aggregate may stress the notion of separate distinct individuals or discrete particulars grouped together
these larger aggregates, the enlarged family, ingroup, the tribe, the clan — Abram Kardiner
not a logical unity, but an aggregate of notions of various origins — J.O.Evjen
total suggests completeness comprehending inclusiveness and perhaps magnitude of result
a large gold total, mostly through small, individual operations — American Guide Series: Washington
a total of one million casualties
whole may refer to a unified or integrated totality
society as a whole, acting through its laws, its schools, its publications — R.M.Weaver
the history as a whole is deficient on the economic side — Allen Johnson
number may suggest an aggregate of countable units, in contrast to amount , which is usually used with uncountables
the number of corpuscles in this amount of blood
the number of accounts involved in this amount of trade
quantity is broadly used in reference to anything, measurable but usually applies to what is measured in bulk
if pleasure be the sole good, the only possible criterion of pleasures is quantity of pleasure — Clive Bell
farm country that produces wheat, corn, vegetables and fruit as well as quantities of poultry and milk — American Guide Series: Maryland
a quantity of silvery-yellow hair — Elinor Wylie
large quantities of silt — W.H.Dowdeswell
•
- in sum
II. verb
( summed ; summed ; summing ; sums )
Etymology: Middle English summen, sommen, from Old French summer, sommer, from Medieval Latin summare, from Latin summa sum
transitive verb
1. : to ascertain the sum of : count or calculate the number, amount, or total of : add together : cast up
sum a column of figures
the costs … can rarely be set down in a neat row and summed — Harold Koontz & Cyril O'Donnell
this term is obtained by summing the numbers in the bottom left-hand corners of the boxes — Lester Guest
sum the cards on the tabulator — F.J.Gruenberger
2. : to sum up
the body of thought brought to America by the immigrant Puritans … may be summed in a phrase as Carolinian liberalism — V.L.Parrington
3. obsolete : to bring to consummation or perfection : make complete : reach the goal or full development of
there was the venture summed and satisfied — Christopher Marlowe
intransitive verb
1. : to reach a sum : amount — used with to or into
benefactions that sum into the thousands
2. : to do sums in arithmetic
III. abbreviation
1.
[Latin sumat ]
let him take
2.
[Latin sume, sumendus ]
take; to be taken
3.
[Latin sumendum ]
must be taken
IV. noun
: union 1 herein