census
[ sen-suh s ]
/ ˈsɛn səs /
noun, plural cen·sus·es.
an official enumeration of the population, with details as to age, sex, occupation, etc.
(in ancient Rome) the registration of citizens and their property, for purposes of taxation.
verb (used with object)
to take a census of (a country, city, etc.): The entire nation is censused every 10 years.
Origin of census
1605–15; < Latin: a listing and property assessment of citizens, equivalent to
cēns(ēre) to assess, register (citizens) in a census +
-tus suffix of v. action; for
-s- in place of
-st- see
censor
OTHER WORDS FROM census
cen·su·al [sen-shoo-uh l] /ˈsɛn ʃu əl/, adjective pre·cen·sus, nounWords nearby census
censor,
censorious,
censorship,
censurable,
censure,
census,
census taker,
census tract,
cent,
cent sign,
cent-
Example sentences from the Web for census
British Dictionary definitions for census
census
/ (ˈsɛnsəs) /
noun plural -suses
an official periodic count of a population including such information as sex, age, occupation, etc
any offical count
a traffic census
(in ancient Rome) a registration of the population and a property evaluation for purposes of taxation
Derived forms of census
censual, adjectiveWord Origin for census
C17: from Latin, from
cēnsēre to assess