census
[sen-suh s]
- 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.
- 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
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for census
Contemporary Examples
Every 10 years, after the Census, legislators get together and draw district lines in collusion.
Byrne invented a deceased husband named William K. Richard and hid herself from census takers.
Wonder Woman’s Creation Story Is Wilder Than You Could Ever ImagineTom Arnold-Forster
November 3, 2014
Just 0.5 percent of Ferguson is of Asian descent, according to 2010 U.S. Census data.
For the first time in our history, according to the Census Bureau, blacks are now voting at a higher rate than whites.
According to the Census Bureau, 49 percent of Americans receive some kind of government benefits.
Historical Examples
The percentage of males in the State by the census of 1900 was 52.3.
By the census of 1870 the number of insane persons in the State was 3,414.
The Life, Public Services and Select Speeches of Rutherford B. HayesJames Quay Howard
This can be verified by reference to any census of any penal institution.
The Necessity of AtheismDr. D.M. Brooks
The diminution revealed by the 1911 Census amounts to 76,000.
Home RuleHarold Spender
He tells us that when our first census was taken only four per cent.
Checking the WasteMary Huston Gregory
census
- an official periodic count of a population including such information as sex, age, occupation, etc
- any offical counta traffic census
- (in ancient Rome) a registration of the population and a property evaluation for purposes of taxation
Word Origin
C17: from Latin, from cēnsēre to assess
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for census
n.
1610s, from Latin census "the enrollment of the names and property assessments of all Roman citizens," originally past participle of censere "to assess" (see censor (n.)). The modern census begins in the U.S., 1790., and Revolutionary France. Property for taxation was the primary purpose in Rome, hence Latin census also was used for "one's wealth, one's worth, wealthiness."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper