Word of the Day

: August 24, 2008

aggregate

noun AG-rih-gut

What It Means

1 : a mass or body of units or parts somewhat loosely associated with one another

2 : the whole sum or amount : sum total

aggregate in Context

"The aggregate of incriminating details unmistakably points towards a conviction," said the prosecuting attorney.

Did You Know?

We added "aggregate" to our flock of Latin borrowings in the 15th century. It descends from "aggregare" ("to add to"), a Latin verb made up of the prefix "ad-" (which means "to," and which usually changes to "ag-" before a "g") and "greg-" or "grex" (meaning "flock"). "Greg-" also gave us "congregate," "gregarious," and "segregate." "Aggregate" is commonly employed in the phrase "in the aggregate," which means "considered as a whole" (as in the sentence "In the aggregate, the student's various achievements were sufficiently impressive to merit a scholarship"). "Aggregate" also has some specialized senses. For example, it is used for a mass of minerals formed into a rock and for a material, such as sand or gravel, used to form concrete, mortar, or plaster.