census

[ sen-suhs ]

noun

, plural cen·sus·es.

1. an official enumeration of the population, with details as to age, sex or gender, occupation, etc.
2. (in ancient Rome) the registration of citizens and their property, for purposes of taxation.

verb (used with object)

1. to take a census of (a country, city, etc.):

   The entire nation is censused every 10 years.

census

/ ˈsɛnsəs /

noun

1. an official periodic count of a population including such information as sex, age, occupation, etc
2. any offical count

   a traffic census

3. (in ancient Rome) a registration of the population and a property evaluation for purposes of taxation

Derived Forms

• ˈcensual, adjective

Other Words From

• cen·su·al [sen, -shoo-, uh, l], adjective
• pre·census noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of census¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin: “a listing and property assessment of citizens,” equivalent to cēns(ēre) “to assess, register (citizens) in a census” + -tus suffix of verb action; for -s- in place of -st- censor

Word History and Origins

Origin of census¹

C17: from Latin, from cēnsēre to assess

Example Sentences

The work relies on voter records and census data from two states that have vote by mail but didn't roll it out uniformly across the state.

From Ars Technica

Using census data, the researchers identified the total number of eligible voters in the counties that adopted mail-in voting and those nationwide that did not.

From Science News

Hollerith thought a census machine might have great commercial potential, and he asked Billings to join him in a venture to develop and commercialize it.

From MIT Technology Review

Like a census, these maps literally capture how neurons are distributed in the brain, what they look like, and how they layer within and between different brain regions.

From Singularity Hub 

The link means that we can use fast radio bursts to identify magnetars in the distant universe, allowing scientists to build a census of these extreme objects and better explain their origins.

From Quanta Magazine

Indeed, a majority of Democratic voters will be minority voters shortly after the next census is taken.

From The Daily Beast

Every 10 years, after the Census, legislators get together and draw district lines in collusion.

From The Daily Beast

Byrne invented a deceased husband named William K. Richard and hid herself from census takers.

From The Daily Beast

Just 0.5 percent of Ferguson is of Asian descent, according to 2010 U.S. Census data.

From The Daily Beast

For the first time in our history, according to the Census Bureau, blacks are now voting at a higher rate than whites.

From The Daily Beast

The remaining figures, being taken from census returns and other reliable authorities, are more satisfactory.

From Project Gutenberg

The earliest census report which gives any information in regard to its population is that of 1810 when the population was 1,508.

From Project Gutenberg

Of the heathen population, no census has ever been taken; but it probably exceeds 300,000.

From Project Gutenberg

The 1960 census confirmed such declines from the previous growth of cities in nearly all parts of the nation.

From Project Gutenberg

Census enumerations since 1890 indicate that total employment in Virginia has expanded continuously.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• enumeration
• poll