aggregate

[ adjective noun ag-ri-git, -geyt; verb ag-ri-geyt ]

adjective

1. formed by the conjunction or collection of particulars into a whole mass or sum; total; combined:

   the aggregate amount of indebtedness.

   Synonyms: whole, complete

2. Botany.
   1. (of a flower) formed of florets collected in a dense cluster but not cohering, as the daisy.
   2. (of a fruit) composed of a cluster of carpels belonging to the same flower, as the raspberry.
3. Geology. (of a rock) consisting of a mixture of minerals separable by mechanical means.

noun

1. a sum, mass, or assemblage of particulars; a total or gross amount:

   the aggregate of all past experience.

2. a cluster of soil particles: an aggregate larger than 250 micrometers in diameter, as the size of a small crumb, is technically regarded as a macroaggregate.
3. any of various loose, particulate materials, as sand, gravel, or pebbles, added to a cementing agent to make concrete, plaster, etc.
4. Mathematics. set ( def 92 ).

verb (used with object)

, ag·gre·gat·ed, ag·gre·gat·ing.

1. to bring together; collect into one sum, mass, or body.

   Synonyms: gather, accumulate, amass, assemble

2. to amount to (the number of ):

   The guns captured will aggregate five or six hundred.

verb (used without object)

, ag·gre·gat·ed, ag·gre·gat·ing.

1. to combine and form a collection or mass.

aggregate

/ ˈæɡrɪˌɡeɪtɪv /

adjective

1. formed of separate units collected into a whole; collective; corporate
2. (of fruits and flowers) composed of a dense cluster of carpels or florets

noun

1. a sum or assemblage of many separate units; sum total
2. geology a rock, such as granite, consisting of a mixture of minerals
3. the sand and stone mixed with cement and water to make concrete
4. a group of closely related biotypes produced by apomixis, such as brambles, which are the Rubus fruticosus aggregate
5. in the aggregate
   in the aggregate taken as a whole

verb

1. to combine or be combined into a body, etc
2. tr to amount to (a number)

Derived Forms

• ˈaggregately, adverb
• aggregative, adjective

Other Words From

• ag·gre·ga·ble [ag, -ri-g, uh, -b, uh, l], adjective
• ag·gre·gate·ly adjective
• ag·gre·gate·ness noun
• ag·gre·ga·to·ry [ag, -ri-g, uh, -tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], adjective
• hy·per·ag·gre·gate verb hyperaggregated hyperaggregating
• re·ag·gre·gate verb reaggregated reaggregating
• sub·ag·gre·gate adjective noun
• sub·ag·gre·gate·ly adverb
• un·ag·gre·gat·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of aggregate¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin aggregātus (past participle of aggregāre ), equivalent to ag- ag- + greg- (stem of grex “flock”) + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of aggregate¹

C16: from Latin aggregāre to add to a flock or herd, attach (oneself) to, from grex flock

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in the aggregate, taken or considered as a whole:

   In the aggregate, our losses have been relatively small.

Example Sentences

But in the aggregate, immigration reform is not a salient issue for white evangelicals.

From The Daily Beast

Their hub is an aggregate of photographs and eyewitness reports taken by hundreds of collectives.

From The Daily Beast

Many runways are asphaltic concrete—aggregate in a bitumen binder—which softens and melts under heat.

From The Daily Beast

And what Navfac calls “standard airfield concrete” is military-grade, made with aggregate and Portland cement.

From The Daily Beast

Harkin noted the effect raising the wage would have in increasing aggregate demand and boosting the economy in a floor speech.

From The Daily Beast

The act of the Covenanting Society is complex, and is the aggregate of the actings of all who compose it.

From Project Gutenberg

But in their aggregate the representations look well, and they give a good finish to the chancel.

From Project Gutenberg

It was not so much that the "offer of the House" increased the aggregate population of the workhouses.

From Project Gutenberg

All these are administered by local boards, whose aggregate revenue amounts to some 7000.

From Project Gutenberg

The aggregate which we call four, has a still greater number of characteristic modes of formation.

From Project Gutenberg